California Vineyard Owner Trampled to Death by Elephants During $40,000 Africa Hunt
Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old California vineyard owner and longtime big-game hunter, was trampled to death by a herd of elephants while on a $40,000 hunting trip in Central Africa.
Dosio was hunting a yellow-backed duiker with a professional guide in a rainforest in the Lopé-Okanda region of Gabon on April 17 when the pair stumbled upon a group of elephants.
“Whilst in the forest, Ernie and his [guide] surprised five forest elephant cows with a calf. Feeling under threat, the elephants immediately attacked them,” Dosio’s friend told the New York Post.
Collect Africa, the safari company behind Dosio’s tour, confirmed his death in a statement shared by The Daily Mail.
The guide was reportedly struck first and separated from his rifle, leaving Dosio exposed with only a shotgun intended for smaller game, according to The Daily Mail.
“I would rather not go into detail, but it is safe to assume it would have been quick,” Dosio’s friend said.
Conflicting Accounts and Family Frustration
Dosio’s ex-wife, Rinda Butler Dosio, told The Daily Mail that family attorneys received word of the death before family members were notified. Initial accounts given to relatives were contradictory — one early report incorrectly identified buffalo as the cause.
Butler Dosio also claimed that the professional guide died in the attack, though the safari company’s official account says the guide survived with serious injuries.
“There’s so many different things that are going around. Everything gets kind of exaggerated,” Butler Dosio told The Daily Mail.
“The day it happened we heard it was buffalos - and different crazy things. The lawyers got called before the family. There’s just some things that just don’t make sense,” she added.
Dosio leaves behind two sons — Jeff and Blake — who followed in his footsteps in the vineyard business. Jeff Dosio described the incident as “twisted” and objected to how his father’s death has been portrayed.
“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,” he told The Daily Mail.
Photos of Dosio’s trophy room at his home — which included an elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, crocodile, zebra and leopard — were shared by the New York Post and The Daily Mail.
According to the New York Post, Dosio shot and killed an elephant in Botswana more than a decade ago.
A Life Rooted in California Agriculture
Dosio resided in Lodi, California, and owned Pacific AgriLands, an agricultural business based in Modesto that runs a 12,000-acre vineyard operation. The Modesto wine region accounts for roughly 40% of California’s wine output.
Son Jeff currently leads the company as its president. Son Blake also works in the family business.
Dosio held a board position on the Lodi Winegrape Commission and was a lifetime member of the California Wildfowl organization.
He was also an active participant in the Sacramento Safari Club and held the “Great Elk” title within the California Central District Elks for many years. He hosted monthly fundraising events at the Elks Lodge attended by judges, vineyard owners and business leaders.
Tommy Whitman, secretary of the Lodi Elks Lodge, posted a memorial tribute on Facebook.
“Ernie always had his hand in his pocket and would help out those who needed it be it war veterans or handicapped or underprivileged kids,” Whitman wrote.
“He would never want recognition but he was always there with a loving heart…May all of our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones,” the tribute read.
Friends remembered him as “a very keen conservationist and he did a hell of a lot of charity work — and was a really good guy,” according to the New York Post.
“Ernie with his big mustache was larger than life but did not show it off, although he had money…he was a just a farmer and good old country boy who loved to hunt and fish,” one family friend told the Post.
The American Embassy in Gabon is coordinating the return of Dosio’s body to California, per The Daily Mail.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
