A Kootenay city's war on its pigeon population has hit a major snag over an apparent miscommunication over the existence of a coastal pigeon sanctuary.

The City of Trail wants to get rid of hundreds of problem pigeons, and the droppings they leave behind, and said it would pay $25,000 to a Lower Mainland company to trap them and take them to a Vancouver-based pigeon trainer.

Warren Proulx, an engineer with the city, said Care Pest & Wildlife Control Ltd. said it would not harm any birds but would instead trap them and take them into care.

"That is what was communicated to me... that there was a trainer that was in Vancouver, that actually trained pigeons to race," Proulx said.

But a spokesperson for Care Pest & Wildlife Control says there is no trainer, no sanctuary and none of Trail's pigeons are being moved anywhere.

'I also heard they were going to be moved to Vancouver. That is not going happen.'—Anthony Hung, owner of Care Pest Control

Company director Anthony Hung said there was some kind of miscommunication between the city and company.

"I know of no such sanctuary. I wish there was a sanctuary like that," Hung said.

"I also heard they were going to be moved to Vancouver. That is not going to happen."

Officials with the City of Trail are still talking about what to do with their pigeons, but a coastal retirement doesn't appear to be one of the options.

The city has also proposed an anti-pigeon bylaw that will enforce a fine for anyone caught feeding the pigeons.

With files from the CBC's Bob Keating