US millionaire big-game hunter crushed to death by elephants in Gabon

An American millionaire big-game hunter died after being crushed by a group of elephants during a hunting expedition in Gabon last Friday, according to media reports.

Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old vineyard owner from Lodi, California, was hunting yellow-backed duiker, an antelope species, in the Lope-Okanda rainforest when he and his guide unexpectedly encountered five female elephants accompanied by a calf.

Safari operator Collect Africa confirmed the death of its client and reported that the professional hunter guiding Dosio sustained serious injuries during the encounter. Officials from the US embassy in Gabon are coordinating the return of his remains to California.

Dosio had built an extensive collection of hunting trophies over the years, including elephants and lions, and was a familiar name within the Sacramento Safari Club.

A retired hunter who knew Dosio said: "Ernie has been hunting since he could hold a rifle and has many trophies from Africa and the US. 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."

Gabon's forests are home to approximately 95,000 forest elephants, most of the species' global population, which are considered highly endangered.

Last year, another American game hunter was killed by a buffalo he was stalking during a hunting expedition in South Africa.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓