A millionaire big-game hunter has been killed after being trampled by elephants while on a hunting expedition.
Ernie Dosio, 75, had been searching for a rare species of antelope in the Lope-Okanda forest in Gabon, central Africa, when a herd of five elephants emerged and crushed him underfoot.
The American vineyard-owner from Lodi, California, had collected an array of animal trophies during his lifetime, including rhinos, elephants and lions.
Safari operator Collect Africa confirmed Mr Dosio’s death, according to a report in the Daily Mail. The company said that a professional hunter who had been guiding Mr Dosio was also seriously injured in the incident, which is said to have taken place on 17 April.
The team had been on the lookout for a yellow-backed duiker, the largest of all duikers, which is one of the most heavily-hunted species across forests in West and Central Africa.
The group of five elephants with a calf are said to have been well-hidden in the undergrowth surrounding them. Elephants are the largest land animals on earth, with adult males weighing an average of 6,000kg and standing at 9 ft (3m) tall.
A friend said that Mr Dosio’s excursions were “strictly licensed and above board and were registered as conservation in culling animal numbers”.
“I would rather not go into detail, but it is safe to assume that it would have been quick,” the friend told the New York Post of the death.
Hunting brochures on the Bobby Hansen Safaris website show Mr Dosio posing with monster hogs, a Nile buffalo and an impala in Uganda. A trip from Tanzania includes pictures of the hunter with a gazelle and the elusive lesser kudu. In one picture, he is seen with the body of a slain lion while holding a hunting rifle. He is reported to have been unsuccessful in hunting a leopard while on the expedition.
A caption read: “He took a fantastic lion and some great plains game, although Mr Spots eluded us. We had males feeding that did not return, and we saw one male during the day, but we will get you a leopard, Ernie.”
Trophy-hunting is a controversial practice with campaign groups against it for animal welfare and environmental reasons. Political parties, including those in the UK, have promised to ban imports but have been accused of delaying legislation.
It is estimated that between 300 and 500 people are killed every year in elephant attacks, according to the Global Sanctuary for Elephants.
