A millionaire big-game hunter has been killed following a deadly elephant encounter in Gabon.
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Ernie Dosio, 75, died during a guided $40,000 hunting trip. A herd of elephants reportedly charged in what became a fatal incident.
Dosio, a California vineyard owner, had extensive experience hunting across multiple continents.
Millionaire Killed in Elephant Attack During African Hunting Trip
According to the Daily Mail, Dosio kept a "vast collection of exotic animal heads in trophy rooms at home."
He had been on a guided expedition in central Africa alongside a professional hunter, tracking the "elusive yellow-backed duiker."
"Over the decades, he has hunted elephants, leopard, rhino, buffalo and lion across Africa and back home in the US, [Dosio] has hunted almost every species of wild deer," the Daily Mail's Jamie Pyatt wrote.
During the trip, Dosio reportedly encountered five female elephants and a calf in the Lope-Okanda rainforest.
The startled herd suddenly charged, leading to the fatal outcome.
Reports state that the accompanying professional hunter, armed with a high-powered rifle, was "flung aside" during the incident.
Dosio, who was carrying only a shotgun, was "brutally trampled underfoot."
Professional Hunter Injured as Details Emerge
Further details suggest the professional hunter was attacked first. He was "seriously injured" in the encounter.
He reportedly lost his rifle, leaving Dosio with limited means to defend himself.
A retired game hunter in Cape Town who knew Dosio said, "I would rather not go into detail, but it is safe to assume it would have been quick."
"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," the game hunter claimed.
Authorities are arranging for Dosio's body to be returned to Lodi, California, with assistance from the US Embassy in Gabon.
Dosio owned Pacific AgriLands, which manages a 12,000-acre vineyard in Modesto, specializing in "providing management for local wine farms."
He lived with his partner, Betty, in a four-bedroom home about 30 miles south of Sacramento and was a father of two. The incident comes amid other fatal encounters involving big-game hunters.
In August 2025, American millionaire hunter Asher Watkins, 52, died after a buffalo gored him in South Africa's Limpopo Province during a hunting trip reportedly costing nearly $10,000.
