Kuala Lampur, April 29 -- Tigers are so feared in Bangladesh's vast Sundarban mangroves that locals invoke spirits to protect against them. But experts say it is the big cats themselves that need defending.

Abdul Goni Gazi was among the first to raise the alarm for the creatures struggling to grow their numbers under pressure from habitat loss, poaching and climate change.

Known locally as "Goni Tiger", the 45-year-old devoted his life to promoting coexistence between the big cats and the people living on the forest's edge.

Despite the danger, this activist claims to have saved 36 Bengal tigers from guns or traps -and 106 local residents from the animals' jaws.

He has pulled furious villagers back from the brink of killing tigers - an...