A wealthy American big game hunter has been killed by a herd of elephants while on a hunting trip in central Africa. Ernie Dosio who was 75 and a vineyard owner from Lodi in California was trampled to death in the dense forests of Gabon on April 17 after he and his guide unexpectedly came upon a group of female elephants with a calf.
What happened in the forest?
According to Daily Mail, Dosio had traveled to Gabon’s Lope-Okanda rainforest for a hunt worth about $40,000. He was trying to hunt the yellow-backed duiker which is a rare forest antelope first discovered in 1815. He also had a license to hunt dwarf forest buffalo during the trip.
Because of strict hunting rules, Dosio was not allowed to bring his own guns. The safari company, Collect Africa provided him with a shotgun and cartridges for the hunt.
While walking through the thick forest, Dosio and his professional hunter guide suddenly came across five female elephants with a calf. The elephants were hidden in the dense bushes and appeared suddenly from nowhere.
The elephants felt threatened and quickly attacked. The guide who had a rifle was badly injured and lost his gun. This left Dosio with only a shotgun and he was trampled to death.
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African forest elephants are very strong animals. They can grow up to 12 feet tall, weigh nearly four tons and run up to 25 miles per hour, according to the Daily Mail.
Collect Africa confirmed that a client was killed on April 17 during a hunt in Gabon and the guide was seriously injured. The US Embassy in Gabon is arranging to return Dosio’s body to California.
Who was Ernie Dosio?
Ernie Dosio was a well-known and respected hunter in both the US and Africa. Over his lifetime, he hunted animals like elephants, leopard, rhino, buffalo and lion in Africa and many types of deer in the United States. His home near Lodi, about 30 miles south of Sacramento, had rooms filled with hundreds of hunting trophies, including elephant, rhino, bear, buffalo, lion, crocodile, zebra and leopard, as well as elk, moose, reindeer and birds, according to the Daily Mail.
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Apart from hunting, Dosio was a businessman. He owned Pacific AgriLands Inc which manages around 12,000 acres of vineyards in Modesto and provides services and equipment to wine farms in the region which produces about 40 percent of California’s wine, according to the Daily Mail. His son Jeff is the president of the company and his other son Blake is also believed to be involved.
Dosio was active in several groups. He was a life member of California Wildfowl, part of the Sacramento Safari Club and served on the board of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. He also served as Great Elk in the California Central District Elks for 30 years, as per the Daily Beast.
