American Millionaire Dies After Elephant Encounter in Gabon Rainforest
4/25/2025
A prominent American millionaire and big-game hunter has died following a fatal encounter with a group of elephants in Gabon. The incident took place during a specialized hunting expedition in the central African nation.
Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old vineyard owner from Lodi, California, was reportedly hunting a specific antelope species known as the yellow-backed duiker. The event occurred last Friday in the Lope-Okanda rainforest, as reported by The Guardian.
While navigating the dense jungle, Dosio and his guide unexpectedly encountered a group of five female elephants accompanied by a calf. The presence of the hunters reportedly surprised the animals, leading to the tragic confrontation.
Dosio was well-known in hunting circles and was a familiar member of the Sacramento Safari Club. Throughout his life, he had accumulated an extensive collection of trophies, including large animals such as lions and elephants.
“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.”
This statement was shared by a retired hunter who knew Dosio, describing the 75-year-old as a lifelong enthusiast of the sport. Officials from the U.S. embassy in Gabon are currently coordinating with authorities to return his remains to California.
The Landscape of Hunting in Gabon
Gabon is home to approximately 95,000 forest elephants, representing the vast majority of the global population for this critically endangered species. Despite their protected status, legal trophy hunting remains a multimillion-dollar global industry.
The industry attracts wealthy international clients, including high-profile figures such as Donald Trump Jr. During his first term, President Donald Trump established a wildlife advisory board to review rules regarding the import of animal trophies, though the panel was later disbanded in 2020.
Asio’s professional life involved managing Pacific AgriLands Inc, a company overseeing 12,000 acres of vineyards in Modesto. His death marks another fatal incident involving American hunters in Africa, following a similar event last year where a hunter was killed by a buffalo in South Africa.