World’s ‘loneliest man’ dies after 26 years in Brazilian forest

An indigenous tribe man who was known as the “World Loneliest Man” and lived in complete isolation in the Brazilian Amazon forests has died years after the last of his tribesmen were wiped off by forest explorers.

The deceased, often called “Man of the Hole” because of the large trenches he dug to trap animals or hide, was found dead in his hut on Saturday, according to a Brazilian government Indigenous Agency, Funai.

The Brazilian, whose name and the language he spoke were never known, lived in voluntary isolation in a piece of forest monitored by Funai and was always on the run whenever he sensed other people coming close.

The indigenous man was located 26 years ago in the forest in the Rondonia state, near the border with Bolivia.

READ ALSO: Death toll from Brazilian landslide rises to 100

The majority of his tribe was believed to have been killed in the 1970s and 80s after a road was built nearby, causing a rise in demand for land for business purposes.

At least 114 indigenous peoples have been identified to live in isolation in the Amazon Basin, the world’s largest rainforest belt.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now