Hard Rock Cafe Pulls 'Distasteful' Orangutan Ads

Hard Rock Cafe has withdrawn an advert showing an orangutan baring its teeth and playing an electric guitar after complaints from animal lovers.

The US chain was strongly criticised for using the poster to promote its new restaurant in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state on Borneo.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said using iconic animals, especially those under the threat of extinction, for commercial exploitation was "distasteful".

He said animal right groups across the world were angered by the poster, with some calling for a boycott of the restaurant.

"It does not portray a good image of Sabah or even HRC (Hard Rock Cafe) itself," he told The Rakyat Post.

"We want to avoid a situation where these groups would urge international tourists to boycott Sabah over a controversial depiction of the much-loved orangutan."

The large ginger primate is a treasured mascot of Sabah, home to a large orangutan rehabilitation centre that rescues orphaned orangutans and trains them to survive in the wild.

Sabah Wildlife Department director William Baya said the advert was a "distasteful exploitation" of the orangutan and gave the wrong impression about how Sabah treats its beloved icon.

In a brief statement, Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu said the adverts had now been removed.

"We sincerely apologise to those who have been offended by recent advertisements for the new Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu," it said.

"We are working with Hard Rock International and local counsellors to ensure that all future advertisements are culturally sensitive."

Officials said the image was created on Photoshop, using an image of a real orangutan.

Experts believe there are as few as 40,000 orangutans left in the wild. They are native to rainforests in Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra island.