An United States-based tourist and social media influencer was recently arrested for going to an unauthorized island and leaving behind a Coca-Cola can for an isolated tribe living there.   

The Sentinelese tribe is an indigenous tribe off the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean with no contact to the outside world. They resist all contact with outsiders, attacking and killing anyone who comes near.  

Mykhailo Viktorovich Polyakov, a 24-year-old, was arrested after allegedly visiting the North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese tribe. He rode to the island alone on an inflatable boat and landed on the island at around 10 a.m. on March 29th. He began blowing a whistle, looking for tribe members, and when coming across none he left a Diet Coke can and a coconut as an offering to the tribe. He recorded the entire experience in hopes of recording the interactions between him and the natives. 

Experts have said that his attempt was ‘deeply, disturbing’ because of the dangers the Sentinelese tribe poses against himself but also because of the dangers he presented to the tribe. Because of their lack of contact with the outside world, they haven’t been exposed to any diseases, and he therefore could’ve wiped out the entire tribe.