A shocking new report warns that clout-chasing travel influencers are putting some of the world’s most isolated Indigenous tribes at risk of extinction — all in the name of views and viral fame.
According to the advocacy group Survival International, social media adventurers entering restricted zones to film “first contact” moments are exposing uncontacted tribes to deadly diseases for which they have no immunity. The charity’s report, Uncontacted Indigenous Peoples: At the Edge of Survival, describes the potential outcome as “catastrophic.”
There are roughly 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups worldwide, with about 95% residing in the Amazon rainforest. But nearly 90 tribes across South America, Asia, and the Pacific are reportedly endangered by “surging numbers of influencers” and thrill-seeking tourists.
One example cited in the report involves British YouTuber Miles Routledge, who allegedly bragged about plans to illegally reach North Sentinel Island — home to the world’s most isolated people, the Sentinelese — by altering his passport and evading authorities. Similarly, American influencer Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, was arrested in India after attempting to approach the island in a small dinghy, leaving offerings of a coconut and a Diet Coke.
Experts warn that even a single physical encounter could wipe out entire tribes through infection — much like what happened to Indigenous populations during European colonization. “All contact kills,” the report stressed. “Exposure to unfamiliar pathogens can annihilate entire communities, while online fame-seeking encourages others to repeat the same reckless behavior.”
