If you remember, it was a very close contest between the Gecko and the Nauga as to who would be spokesperson for the insurance company. The Gecko ultimately emerged victorious in the one sided competition after the company insisted that the winner be nocturnal and a great climber. The Nauga, of course, met neither of these criteria.
The Nauga was almost banned to extinction in the 60's and 70's when their skins were in demand, and the poor animals could not produce and shed their "hydes" in quantities that the furniture industry found necessary.
It was perhaps American Pickers that made the public aware again of this forgotten little animal. In one episode, Mike Wolfe discovered an old chair, in the attic, up in the rafters, on a farm, in Chillicothe, Ohio, and it was determined that the covering was, in fact, Nauga Hyde. That show caused an avalanche of protests and interest in what happened to the Nauga.
Helen Probst of Klamath Falls, Oregon was the first to call in her local station, KOTI-TV and let them know that she, in fact, still had her Nauga and it was alive and well, and had been in her family for many years.
As you may well remember, the Nauga is not slaughtered for its "hyde," but sheds it, quarterly, and in some cases, with proper diet and exercise, can produce up to six skins per year. The decline in population was due to some unscrupulous breeders who "overshed" them on improper diets and exercise.
Due to this internet exposure I have heard from many Nauga owners around the world,, each, with his or her own unique story to tell.
