THE TEACHER WHO WRESTLED A COUGAR

When a wild cat springs from the woods to prey on her young students, a daycare owner instantly moves to protect them. A classic RD drama.

- Mary Murray

Nudged awake by the morning sun, the young cougar opened its jaws in a teeth-baring yawn and stretched its muscular forelegs.

Then it started down the mountainside, crossed a narrow highway, and loped toward the wide, rushing river. For days, the cougar had been edging closer to the small lumber village of Lillooet on the Fraser River, at the edge of the mountains of southern British Columbia in Canada. Now, after drinking the river’s cold water, the cougar bedded down again in a nest of tall grass.

On July 3, 1991, the five children in Larrane Leech’s day care group were outdoors early, painting bright tempera landscapes under the penetrating sun. By 10 a.m., it was time to find shade, so Larrane decided they would walk down to the river. “We’re going to pick berries now,” she announced.

At 44, she had made her dream come true when she turned her home into a day care center. It had taken hard work to get her certification. After completing her courses in early childhood education, Larrane had volunteered in a day care center while working at a lumber mill and raising three teen sons alone.

So far, the center was operating smoothly. But she always worried about keeping her clients satisfied, as well as being able to care for enough children to make the business pay off.