World's longest treasure hunt ends with Golden Owl find

The discovery of a hidden Golden Owl statue has ended a 31-year treasure hunt in which tens of thousands of people have been hunting for since 1993.

A post on the treasure hunt's official chatline by illustrator Michel Becker read: “We confirm that the replica of the golden owl was dug up last night, and that simultaneously a solution has been sent on the online verification system. It is therefore now pointless travelling to dig at any place you believe the cache might be situated.”

Becker illustrated the original Chouette d’Or (golden owl) book as well as sculpting the buried statuette in 1993.

A cult following of thousands of people have been searching for the buried treasure, with the help of 11 cryptic clues given by the creator of the first book, Max Valentin. 

Upon Valentin's death in 2009, Becker took over and kept the treasure hunt going.

The clues led to location in France where a bronze replica of the Golden Owl was buried underground. The rules said that the person who eventually found the statue, once verified, would then be handed the actual Golden Owl, made of gold and silver as a prize - worth over  AED 600,000.

Fellow treasure hunters reacted with mixed emotions to the find on the chatline, with comments ranging from “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day,” and “It’s like Covid. So good when it’s over.”

Another person wrote, “Curiously, I’m relieved. I’m desperate to know the solutions now to see if I was on the right path.”

Becker originally said he had no knowledge of the Golden Owl's whereabouts but after a string of legal difficulties were resolved following Valentin's death, he was able to unseal an envelope containing the location from Valentin's family. 

Becker personally travelled to the spot to confirm the location of the bronze replica before releasing more clues to fans.