Would you kill a stray dog if it meant containing the coronavirus?

Officials from Guangdong, China, are reportedly offering cold hard cash to anyone who would off wandering dogs, the Daily Mail reported.

In a document, A kind reminder, officials will “reward people who capture and kill stray dogs.”

For each dog killed, officials “will give 200 yuan” which is about $39, the memo stated.

The Daily Mail report noted Chinese officials have denied they encouraged residents to kill canines, stating they were merely regulating the pet-keeping with the rule.

According to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence to show that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 can be transmitted from humans to animals.

The call for stray dog killings was issued by officials after residents in the Wanjiang community in Dongguan, Guangzhou province complained about what they call “rule-breaking dog owners.”

Along with the termination of canines, the regulations also dictate how residents should look after and walk their animals. The document stated any dog not on a leash is considered “stray.”

Town residents didn’t favour the regulations.

“It’s such a barbaric rule. I found it ridiculous,” a resident told local media. “It’s not what a civilized society would do.”

The Kanhan News reported the Chinese regulations on stray dogs are being reconsidered due to “inappropriate” content, according to a Wanjiang spokesperson.

“We wanted to regulate keeping pets. We are not encouraging killing dogs,” said the spokesman.

China — the origin of COVID-19 — currently has more than 3,000 million confirmed cases and over 3,200 deaths.

The coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 174,000 worldwide with more than 6,600 deaths.

– With files from Reuters