In Indiana, a leopard killed has left a mystery. An Indiana woman shot the big cat in her back yard, and was shocked to learn it was a leopard.

The Indiana woman who shot the leopard was trying to protect her cats from wild animal attacks. She and her boyfriend shot what they thought was a bobcat prowling in her backyard.

Authorities are trying to determine how the leopard got to the Charlestown, Indiana backyard. Leopards aren't native to Indiana - or North America.

Donna Duke, who is a friend and neighbor of the woman who found the leopard, said that the woman had been worried about the well being of her cats after a string of attacks on dogs and cats in the neighborhood.

"She's got cats that are basically her family.", Duke told press. "She was trying to protect her babies."

Duke reported that the woman and her boyfriend stayed up all night, lying in wait for what they thought was a bobcat running wild in the area. They saw a big cat lurking in the woods at the edge of their property and shot it at a distance, not realizing it was a leopard.

Officials at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed the discovery of the leopard, but they're not sure where it could have come from.

In Indiana, it is legal to own exotic large cats with a permit. The closest big cat owner, a wildlife refuge center located close to the woman's home, told press that none of their animals were missing.

Anyone with information on the leopard can contact the Indiana Conservation Officers Central Dispatch at (812) 837-9536 or 1-800-TIP-IDNR.