New Delhi, Aug. 23 -- A seven-year-old boy was left alone on Mount Fuji after telling his father he was too tired to continue a family climb, prompting police in Japan to intervene and reprimand the man.

The child was discovered sitting alone on a bench near the sixth station of the Fujinomiya trail, at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), The Guardian reported.

A worker on Japan's highest mountain found the boy on Thursday and brought him into the station for shelter before contacting police. Authorities subsequently took the child into protective custody while trying to locate his father.

The incident reportedly happened during a hike in the early hours of the morning. The boy told his father that he was too exhausted ...