THE world’s longest treasure hunt finally came to an end when the mysterious Golden Owl was found buried deep in dirt.
But what may have been a fun activity for some was sheer obsession for others, with the bird trophy causing financial ruin, divorce – and even madness.
The rumoured £250,000 Chouette d’Or owl has been buried somewhere in France for more than three decades.
But mystery still surrounds who – out of the 200,000 hunters – found the owl or where it was even hidden.
For some of the partakers, the hunt switched from a part-time hobby to an obsession that took over their lives – losing wives, money and sanity.
There have been reports that the searchers’ spouses have divorced them over the owl.
While others have spent eye-watering amounts to travel across to France and join in on the search.
At least one has even wound up in an asylum – all over a gold, silver and stone bird.
But key infrastructure was wrecked and crimes committed too in the search for the golden owl.
Last year in a remote eastern France village, a local mayor had to issue a desperate plea for hunters to stop digging holes around its chapel that’s sat on a rock, the Telegraph reports.
One hunter reportedly looked to blowing up a chapel after they’d decided there was a chance the treasure was underneath it.
And another arrived at a bank with a pneumatic drill for the same reason.
A third is even said to have located the owl under a lake, according to its creator.
The armchair treasure-hunt book was created in 1993 by communications expert Régis Hauser under the pseudonym “Max Valentin” and illustrated by artist Michel Becker.
Under Max Valentin, Hauser buried a bronze statue of an owl in a secret location in France, with a series of 11 clues published in a book to help treasure hunters find the prize.
These clues were often short riddles, or plays on words.
The lucky finder would be able to exchange the bronze bird for a golden one, estimated at the time to be worth one million francs, the equivalent of €246,000 (£206,000).
A message posted by the official game organiser and book illustrator Michel Becker said: “We confirm that the replica of the golden owl was dug up last night.
“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.”
The identity of the winner or the location where the Golden Owl was stashed have yet to be announced.
Treasure-hunters were in a joyous uproar after the news of the discovery came out om the hunt’s Discord forum.
One person said: “Finally – liberated!”
Another added: “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.
“It’s like Covid. So good when it’s over.”
A third added: “Curiously, I’m relieved.
“I’m desperate to know the solutions now to see if I was on the right path.”
Hauser died in 2009 and illustrator Michel Becker took over as the official game master.
In 2021, Becker was sent a floppy disk by Valentin’s heirs that was said to contain the solution.
Accompanied by a bailiff, he went to the spot where the statue should have been buried.
Instead, in a hole below the surface, he found a plastic supermarket bag and inside it, a rusting bird made of ferrous metal but not bronze.
While Becker wasn’t certain of what happened to the original owl, he decided to replace it with a second bronzed statue to allow the game to continue – until now.
On The Trail Of The Golden Owl was a treasure hunt book created by Max Valentin.
The book contained several clues and riddles to a final location and a cache, hidden somewhere in France.
Michel Becker created eleven paintings for the book, as well as the final prize, the Golden Owl statuette.
The statuette is 10 inches high and 20 inches wide, and weighs 33 lbs.
The book consists of eleven double-page spreads, each of which is a discrete riddle composed of a title, text, and a painting.
Each pair of pages is numbered with a wavelength associated with its colours, and with an owl face.
Three specific techniques were confirmed by Valentin before his death:
