The barking rooster appeared in Chinese-language newspapers
The Malaysian government is facing ridicule after it took out a full-page advert to celebrate the Lunar New Year - featuring a barking rooster.
The Year of the Rooster - based on the Chinese zodiac - has just ended, giving way to the Year of the Dog.
The trade ministry's advert wished people a prosperous Year of the Dog - but showed a rooster emitting a dog's bark in Chinese.
The ministry apologised for the "technical error".
The cultural quagmire is complicated by a view held by some Malaysian Muslims that dogs are unclean animals.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Malaysian businesses were ignoring or playing down canine symbols - to avoid offending the Muslim majority. Ethnic Chinese make up about a quarter of the country's population.
That led many to think that the advert printed in Chinese language newspapers was a misguided attempt to avoid a picture of a dog - whether it made sense or not.
On Facebook, one user said the advert was "mere stupidity", while another called it a "national embarrassment".
