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France's 31-year treasure hunt for a buried owl statue ends

Conclusion of search launched by 1993 picture puzzle book leaves chouetteurs with mixed emotions

Under the rules of the French quest, whoever found the bronze replica owl was entitled to exchange it for Becker’s original, whose worth when the book was first published was estimated at 1m francs, the equivalent today of almost €300,000. However, no one had succeeded in resolving a final, hidden 12th riddle made up of assorted bits of the main 11, and many older chouetteurs complained that the endless realms of possibility served up online had complicated their task. The quest has prompted several court cases, including one brought by Becker himself against Valentin’s family to obtain the precise whereabouts of the buried bird after the author, whose real name was Régis Hauser, had died in 2009.

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