Hunter Meets Demise by Largest Land Animals on Earth
Stock photo of elephants in Gabon. (Getty Images/GTM Pictures)
A veteran California vineyard owner died during a hunting trip in Central Africa after being attacked by elephants, according to reports.
Ernie Dosio, 75, was in Gabon’s Lope-Okanda rainforest on April 17 pursuing a yellow-backed duiker—an antelope species—when the incident occurred. While tracking the animal alongside a professional guide, the pair unexpectedly came across a small herd consisting of five female elephants and a calf. The group burst out from thick vegetation and charged, fatally injuring Dosio and leaving the guide badly hurt. The guide’s current condition has not been publicly confirmed.
Dosio oversaw roughly 12,000 acres of vineyards through his company, Pacific AgriLands, and was well known in trophy-hunting circles in the United States. He was also active in the Sacramento Safari Club. People familiar with him described a lifelong hunter whose trips were conducted legally and often presented as part of wildlife management efforts.
Officials from the US Embassy in Gabon are assisting with arrangements to return his remains to the United States.
Gabon is a key habitat for forest elephants, which are considered critically endangered. Conservation groups note that African elephants are the largest land animals, capable of reaching weights of up to six tons and standing as tall as 11 feet at the shoulder.
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