( CNN ) -- I 'm crossing the Damaraland desert of northern Namibia on foot -- a few hundred kilometers -- clutching my `` bear banger . '' This device looks like a pen and fits in my pocket . Triggered , it will explode with a loud bang , scaring animals without harming them . I 'm with my guide , Lloyd Camp , on the trail of the elusive black rhino in one of the few truly wild places left in the world . `` The worst thing we could do is to run away from an animal -- we 'll be finished , '' Lloyd warns me . Tragedy of the rhino . Driven to the brink of extinction , the black rhino 's story is one of the most tragic wildlife crimes . Due to poaching , 92 % of the population has been wiped out over the past 30 years , and there are now just 5,055 left in the world . These numbers are an improvement , however , from the lowest point of 2,500 in the 1980s and are thanks to conservation efforts and , perhaps surprisingly , tourism . Firstly , in the early 1980s , Save the Rhino Trust ( SRT ) was formed to offer poachers a more secure livelihood as wildlife rangers . In 2003 , SRT partnered with Wilderness Safaris , an eco-tourism operator . Their common vision was to view the rhino discreetly . By accommodating tourists willing to pay money to track rhinos on foot , they provided employment for locals and income for monitoring and research . After 30 years of work and 10 years of responsible tourism , rhino numbers increased fivefold . Desert tracking . Damaraland is now home to the largest concentration of black rhino on Earth . The green crowns of ana trees dot the brown palette of the landscape , carrying thick , curled reddish brown fruits that desert elephants love . Hours-old footprints of a bull elephant give us our first tracking opportunity . We eventually catch up to him as he 's eating from the thorny branches of an ana tree . Waves of emotions rush through me as we stop and stand still . He knows we 're here . The encounter has begun . `` He 's not bothered by us , '' Lloyd whispers to me . `` It 's a respectful sighting , the type that I really enjoy . '' The next day at 6 a.m. the rangers and I leave Wilderness Safaris ' Desert Rhino Camp . After an hour 's drive we see fresh rhino tracks on a riverbed and follow on foot . Tracking soon becomes difficult , as there are no footsteps anymore , just rocks that have been moved . Finding them is an exercise in mindfulness . Tracking epitomizes abilities that humans have almost completely lost : to read the landscape and be aware of its smallest details . As they walk , the rangers wave their hands as if in an ancient dance : open hands , palm forward , indicating each track or to inform others of a new direction . Nobody talks , just a gentle whistle to attract attention . Then we find fresh dung . One of the rangers , Martin Nawaseb , squats to check its temperature . It 's still hot . Feeling close , we increase our pace and come to view a riverbed . The rhino is there , grazing . He raises his head toward us ; he knows something 's up . Keeping ourselves at a distance , we sit in silence and enjoy the tranquil landscape . Martin writes down the GPS position in his logbook . Tracking is an effective way to understand animal behavior . The importance of pride . Rangers in Damaraland are proud of their job and the community looks up at people like Martin . `` Poaching is essentially not an issue anymore in Namibia because conservation efforts put local communities at the center , '' says Jeff Muntifering , a scientific advisor at SRT . `` It 's become socially unacceptable ; poachers are viewed as stealing from the community . '' He says in Mozambique it 's the opposite : poachers crossing the border to kill animals in South Africa are considered Robin Hoods , risking their lives to bring back to the community the little money paid by international syndicates trading in illegal ivory . How to keep it going . While examples like STR in Namibia and tourism ventures such as the Rhino Desert Camp are the success stories of conservation , their effectiveness is being threatened again by a recent surge in poaching . Fueled by a growing demand for rhino horn in Asia , 1,004 rhino were killed in 2013 , up from 668 killed in 2012 and just 13 killed in 2007 . In response to these alarming figures , 46 countries agreed in London earlier this year on a declaration to tackle wildlife crimes . The hope is that this is the turning point for the fight against poaching .
Poaching has wiped out 92 % of black rhino population in the last 30 years . Government agencies have partnered with eco - tourism operators . Visitors can track rhino on foot with professional guides . Rhino numbers have increased but are under threat again from recent increases in poaching .