American Millionaire Dies on $40,000 Hunting Trip After Being Charged at by Elephant Herd

Ernie Dosio was hunting antelope in Gabon at the time of the fatal incident

An American millionaire and big-game hunter has died following an encounter with elephants in Gabon, according to multiple reports.

Ernie Dosio, 75, a California vineyard owner known for his extensive trophy hunting collection, was on a guided hunting trip in the Lope-Okanda rainforest when the incident occurred, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the outlet, Dosio was on a $40,000 hunt targeting a yellow-backed duiker, a small forest-dwelling antelope found in Central and West Africa.

During the outing, the hunting party unexpectedly encountered a group of five female elephants with a calf. The herd emerged suddenly from “dense undergrowth” in the area before charging at Dosio and his guide, per the Daily Mail.

Safari operator Collect Africa confirmed the death of its client, according to the outlet, which also reported that the professional hunter guiding Dosio survived, sustaining serious injuries in the encounter.

Dosio was also the owner of Pacific AgriLands Inc., a company that manages approximately 12,000 acres of vineyard land in Modesto and provides services and equipment financing to wine producers, according to The Guardian.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Gabon are coordinating the return of Dosio’s remains to California, the Daily Mail reported.

African elephants, the species involved in the encounter, are the largest land animals on Earth. According to the World Wildlife Fund, they can weigh about six tons and reach heights of up to 11 feet.

Elephants in Gabon.
Elephants in Gabon.STEEVE JORDAN/AFP via Getty

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The organization also notes that elephants play a critical role in maintaining ecosystems, helping disperse seeds and shape habitats for other species. At the same time, elephant populations have declined significantly over the past century due to hunting and poaching.

Trophy hunting remains a controversial issue worldwide. Some groups argue it can help fund conservation efforts and protect wildlife habitats, while others say it places additional pressure on species that are already vulnerable.

Ernie Dosio, 2017
Ernie Dosio.Credit : Wagonhound Outfitters/Facebook

NEED TO KNOW

  • The family of millionaire big-game hunter Ernie Dosio spoke out for the first time following the news of his death
  • Ernie died, and his professional guide was seriously injured, after an elephant herd charged the pair while they were on a hunting trip in the Lopé-Okanda rainforest in Gabon
  • Ernie’s body is being sent back to California with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Gabon

The family of the millionaire big-game hunter who died after being charged by an elephant herd in the central African country of Gabon is speaking out.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the family of Ernie Dosio, 75, shared how they learned the news of his death and revealed that they didn’t receive the most accurate information at first.

“The day it happened, we heard it was buffalo — and different crazy things,” Rinda Butler Dosio, Ernie’s ex-wife, told the outlet. “The lawyers got called before the family. There’s just some things that just don’t make sense.”

“It’s a huge shock. He was a big-time hunter, and it shouldn’t have happened. He and another man [were] killed,” she added.

Forest elephants with raised trunks at Langoue Bai, Ivindo, Gabon.
Elephants in Gabon (stock image).Getty

Safari operator Collect Africa confirmed Ernie’s death and said that the professional guide, who accompanied the California vineyard owner on the $40,000 hunting trip in the Lopé-Okanda rainforest, had survived and sustained serious injuries in the encounter.

A former game hunter, who was friendly with Ernie, told the New York Post that Ernie and the guide had been tracking a rare yellow-backed duiker, which is a type of forest antelope, when they came upon a group of five female forest elephants with a calf.

The friend said the herd felt threatened and charged at the pair, striking the guide first before knocking Ernie to the ground and trampling him. He told the Post, “I would rather not go into detail, but it is safe to assume that it would have been quick.”

Following the news of Ernie’s death, a photo of the late millionaire’s hunting collection in his home was released. The picture, which the Post shared, showed a room with various elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, crocodile, zebra and leopard heads.

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Several people online scrutinized Ernie’s hunting habits after the photos were released, but his son, Jeff Dosio, told the Daily Mail that the narrative regarding his father has been “twisted.”

“It hasn’t been fun. It hasn’t been fun at all. Whoever got all these pictures of our trophy room — I don’t know how that came about at all,” Jeff told the outlet.

Matriarch defending the herd in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique
Elephant herd in Mozambique (stock image).Getty

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A retired hunter and friend of Ernie’s also defended the millionaire, telling the Daily Mail that his “hunts were strictly licensed and above board and were registered as conservation in culling animal numbers.”

Ernie’s body is currently being sent back to California with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Gabon.