31 Years End Hunt, Golden Owl Worth IDR 2.5 Billion Found

A 31-year treasure hunt for golden ghost birds in France has come to an end. It was the hunter who found him

Launch APMonday (7/10/2024), the hunt was officially closed on Thursday (3/10). The news was announced by the official social media account for the treasure hunt. The report explained that the marks needed to receive the top prize had been found.

Through the official website, Michel Becker, the author of the puzzle book, appealed to hunters not to dig holes on public or private land without permission.

“Don’t dig! We confirm that the (required) Golden Owl facemark was found last night,” read an alert on the Discord chat app that has tens of thousands of fans of the game.

“Therefore, there is no need to keep digging,” the news continued

Those who claim to have found the signal are also being verified.

The hunt, entitled “On the Trail of the Golden Owl”, began in 1993 and attracted thousands of fans throughout France. Participants must solve 11 puzzles in the guidebook, and one mystery puzzle to find the location of the clue.

The hunt began with a puzzle book written by writer Régis Hauser and artist Michel Becker. From a book, 200 thousand players from France or even abroad were even created, called “owlers”.

In a YouTube documentary, Becker explained that he oversaw and funded the creation of the award. The main prize is an owl statue made of 3 kilograms of gold and 7 kilograms of silver, as well as diamond chips on the face.

Hauser, an intellectual puzzle architect, first used the pen name Max Valentin. This was done to avoid treasure hunters. Until he died in 2009.

Before his death Hauser and Becker decided to bury the owl replica and keep the original in a safe place. Currently, the treasure is estimated to be worth 150,000 euros or about 2.58 billion Rp.

Whoever invented it a replica of the owl must be submitted along with the answers to all the puzzles in the book.

The ending of this game saddened other fans on Discord.

“Time to get the stuff out,” wrote a fan.

“This is the end of an era,” said another.

French media also said the hunt was one of the longest.

“I’m disappointed because I thought I was close, but at the same time I’m relieved because the hunt is over,” one participant from the south of France told France Inter radio.

The man, who is 30, said that he spent his weekends for the past two years looking for the owl. In fact, he admitted that he sometimes had to dig in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile, according to a 2021 documentary, this concept was inspired by The Masquerade, a 1979 puzzle book by Kit Williams, where hunters also have to solve several puzzles to find a golden rabbit.

(week/week)