Birmingham restaurant now claims the baby monkey in its promo clip was AI after a backlash over the videos

The Sparkhill restaurant, Cumin, posted videos featuring a baby monkey dressed in clothes before animal welfare concerns prompted a backlash online. When challenged, the restaurant claimed the monkey was AI-generated — but the footage was reportedly genuine, not computer-generated.

The RSPCA said it was 'concerned' and urged members of the public to report incidents of primates being kept as pets or used in entertainment.

Wildlife campaigners warned that using primates in promotional content normalises the illegal exotic pet trade.