Railson is like most 17-year-old boys. He likes to fish and enjoys hanging out with friends. But there are differences. His usual catch is piranha, the razor-toothed residents of South American rivers that can strip the flesh off animals in minutes. His house is a tiny hut built on stilts. And Railson lives in one of the most remote regions of the world — the Amazon basin of Brazil.
I met Railson on a visit to Amazonia, the massive rainforest that extends into nine countries, about 60% of it in Brazil. That jungle is so dense that sunlight never reaches the forest floor beneath the tree canopy. A tangle of vines that would prompt Tarzan to howl with delight dangles from the highest branches. The treetops themselves are alive with flowers that bloom from seeds dropped by careless birds….