Following public outcry over social media, Kamehameha Schools said this evening the ducks and geese on a parcel of land it owns in Enchanted Lake, Kailua, will no longer be removed.

“We’ve taken steps to hold off on any removal activities going forward,” said Kamehameha Schools spokeswoman Liz Ahana.

Instead, Ahana said Kamehameha Schools would be working with the community to relocate or rehome the ducks and geese as well as to find a solution together. The decision was made within the last six hours today.

She reassured the public that no ducks or geese had been harmed or removed during the week.

On Facebook, members of community group MyKailua responded with panic and dismay to a post this morning claiming that an exterminator had been sent “to kill all the ducks and geese on Enchanted Lake.” The post said that an exterminator arrived on Monday to do the job, but was stopped by a concerned resident.

“These geese have lived on the lake for as long as I can remember,” said the anonymous post. “They’re not causing any trouble. The property manager is new and apparently doesn’t understand the heartbreak and unnecessary killing and heartache he is causing.”

Many families with kids stop by the parcel to feed bread to the ducks and geese on the other side of the chain-link fence. A handwritten sign on the fence informs the public that it is illegal to dump chickens or other animals at the site, and offers a phone number for someone to pick them up for free instead.

Kamehameha Schools owns the approximately 2-acre parcel by the lake near the intersection of Akipohe Street.

Ahana said Kamehameha Schools previously had received complaints about safety issues at the property, and was taking steps to address them by removing non-native ducks, geese and chickens. She said the lake is home to some native birds which are impacted by the non-native fowl, but that community members have expressed an interest in helping to rehome them.