Officials in a rural county of south-western China's Yunnan province ordered the culling of more than 11,000 dogs after rabies killed six people, state media said on Sunday.

Of the more than 90,000 dogs in Yunnan's Mi'le county, some 84,000 had been vaccinated against rabies and another 11,500 unprotected dogs were culled, the Beijing News quoted local media as saying.

The county government threatened to fine people who failed to hand over their dogs but some locals protested that the policy of culling all unprotected dogs was heavy handed, arguing that people in remote areas relied on guard dogs, the newspaper said.

Local government officials said the culling was essential to prevent the spread of the rabies virus, it said.

After the first death in late July, workers killed all cats and dogs within a 5-kilometre radius of the victim's home, it said.

The number of deaths from rabies has risen in China in recent years, with more than 3,000 deaths reported in 2006, and some experts put part of the blame on a higher rate of dog ownership.

Dogs are commonly kept as pets or guards in many rural areas of China but were banned in cities until recently.

Some breeds are also popular for their meat in many areas of northern and southern China.