American millionaire and big-game hunter Ernie Dosio was trampled to death by elephants in central Africa.
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The harrowing incident occurred while the 75-year-old California vineyard owner, renowned for his vast trophy hunting collection, was on a guided hunting expedition in the Lope-Okanda rainforest, as reported by the Daily Mail.
According to the outlet, Dosio was on a $40,000 hunt for a yellow-backed duiker, a small forest antelope. During the excursion, his party unexpectedly encountered five female elephants with a calf. The herd reportedly emerged from dense undergrowth and charged at Dosio and his guide.
Per the Daily Mail, safari operator Collect Africa confirmed the death of its client. The professional hunter guiding Dosio survived but sustained serious injuries.
According to The Guardian, Dosio owned Pacific AgriLands Inc., a company that manages about 12,000 acres of vineyard land in Modesto and provides services and equipment financing to wine producers.
Meanwhile, U.S. Embassy officials in Gabon are working to return Dosio’s remains to California, according to the Daily Mail.
Ernie Dosio Remembered by Fellow Big-Game Hunter: ‘a Really Good Guy’
Known as “Africa’s last Eden,” Gabon has 88% of its 100,000-square-mile territory covered by forest. The country is home to 60% of the world’s remaining forest elephants, with an estimated 50,000 residing in its dense forests. Once famed for its pygmies, Gabon is now one of the richest African nations in per capita income.
Every year, trophy hunters kill tens of thousands of wild animals worldwide. Legal hunting tours in Africa are particularly popular among wealthy Americans, making international trophy hunting a multimillion-dollar industry. In South Africa alone, estimates for the industry’s value have ranged from $68 million in 2012 to $120 million in 2015.
A retired game hunter in Cape Town who knew Ernie Dosio is mourning his loss.
“Ernie has been hunting since he could hold a rifle and has many trophies from Africa and the US,” the retired hunter told the Daily Mail. “Although many disagree with big-game hunting, all Ernie’s hunts were strictly licensed and above board and were registered as conservation in culling animal numbers.”
“Ernie was a very well-known and popular hunter in the US and in Africa, and a very keen conservationist,” the hunter added. “He did a hell of a lot of charity work and was a really good guy.”