Mystery in the hunt for the treasure of a ten-kilogram gold and silver owl with diamonds solved after 31 years

"We can confirm that a replica of the golden owl was dug up last night and a solution was sent to the online verification system at the same time," theMichel Becker, who in 1993 illustrated the book Chouette d'Or (Golden Owl) with puzzles leading to the statue that hundreds of thousands of treasure hunters have searched for decades. "That's why it's now pointless to travel and dig anywhere you think the treasure might be," the co-creator of the game added on Thursday in an online post on the treasure hunt network.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been involved in the search for the golden statue. A huge social network was created, around which many stories grew, many websites were created and a lot of literature was sold. Everyone was constantly monitoring the social networks and exploring different solutions to the 11 mysterious riddles published in the first book by the author Max Valentin. The intricate riddle was supposed to guide the treasure hunter to the exact location where the bronze replica of the real golden owl was supposed to be kept. Its discovery would then lead the finder to the rare original worth millions.

When Max died in 2009, the whole process was taken over by Michel Becker, who did not know the details of the buried owl. The solution was in a sealed envelope owned by Mr Valentino's family. It was only after the necessary legal matters were taken care of that Mr. Becker was able to read the solution to the mystery and verify that the owl was still in its original place.

In recent years, Michel has published more clues, sparking interest in a new generation of chouetteurs - owl hunters. According to a French Canal+ documentary on the treasure hunt earlier this year, the golden owl was worth at least 150,000 euros - about 3.8 million crowns - but the real price, if it is ever offered at auction, could be many times higher - given the interest it has attracted.

A huge wave of emotions - from disappointment to elation and, for some, relief - ran through the community of owl seekers, who call themselves "chouetteurs", after the announcement of the find. Many had devoted years of their lives to the search. Some expressed concern that the statue might have been discovered using a metal detector. However, according to the rules, the finder has to prove that he solved the puzzles in the correct way and did not stumble upon the owl by chance, for example, during the detector search.

Who is the winner and whether the buried replica was actually found according to the exact rules has not yet been made public. Michel Becker has remained silent on social media for the time being. Details are expected to be released in the coming days.

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Roman Nemec

Sources: bbc.com, iflscience.com, msn.com

The golden and silver owl apparently already has a new owner