KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. (Kyodo) A male Asian black bear that had spent the night in a tree in a residential area in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, was caught Wednesday morning after he was anesthetized with darts, police said.

The bear, thought to be about 1 1/2 years old, was initially spotted on the roof of a building near the Fujikyu Highland amusement park at around 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday.

By the time police and city workers arrived, the bear had moved to a nearby tree and then to another, where he remained at a height of about 10 meters.

Yutaka Yoshida, a researcher at the prefecture's environmental research institute, led the effort to capture the animal and finally got him with two anesthetic-filled darts.

Yamanashi officials later "scared him off" with firecrackers and pepper spray to instill a fear of humans in him, Yoshida said. The bear was released on a mountain.