Paris: The world’s longest treasure hunt has come to an end. It seems a buried golden owl statue has finally been discovered after 31 years, following an announcement from France. The search for the elusive Golden Owl statue began in France three decades ago. It started in 1993, attracting thousands of participants from all over the world. Each tried to decipher a series of 11 difficult puzzles that could lead to a buried bronze statue of an owl. This is not an ancient treasure. Rather, it was kept under competition. The search for the treasure is known as ‘Golden Owl’. It was the brainchild of puzzle maker Max Valentin. They buried it somewhere in France. The complex clues related to this were in a book published in 1993. “We can confirm that the replica of the Golden Owl was dug up last night, and the solution has been sent to the online system,” the book’s illustrator Michael Baker said in a post Thursday morning on the treasure hunt’s official chatline. Therefore now it is useless to travel to any place and dig there.
The winner will get the golden owl
The one who solved the puzzle was to receive a real golden owl as the final prize. Its price was Rs 1 crore 38 lakh. No information has been given as to where the owl was buried. Nor has it been told about its discoverer. It has become a topic of discussion among treasure hunters. Treasure hunters started giving their reactions on social media. One person wrote, ‘Finally liberated.’ Another joked: ‘I didn’t think I’d live to see this.’
where was the answer hidden
Thousands of people took part in this search. This entire game spawned books, magazines, and websites related to it. Valentin died in 2009. Later Baker took responsibility for this entire competition. However, some treasure hunters are afraid that it might have been discovered with a metal detector. Under the rules, the treasure hunter must demonstrate that he has solved the puzzles correctly. Not that he found it just by chance. Not even Baker knew about the original buried owl. The answer was in a sealed envelope with Valentine’s family.