Dosio after a successful elephant hunt in Botswana | Bobby Hansen Hunting Safaris
A 75-year-old California businessman and avid big-game hunter was killed on April 17th after he and his professional guide accidentally surprised a group of five female forest elephants and a calf in the dense rainforest of Gabon’s Lopé-Okanda National Park area.
Ernie Dosio, who was the owner of Pacific AgriLands Inc. and a prominent figure in California’s Central Valley wine industry, was on a high-end guided hunt for the elusive yellow-backed duiker, a small forest antelope. Dosio and his PH were moving through thick vegetation with near-zero visibility in search of their prey when the elephants suddenly charged at them without warning. The PH was violently flung aside and seriously injured, losing his rifle in the chaos, while Dosio, armed only with a shotgun, was trampled and gored.
wagonhoundoutfitters.com
Safari operator Collect Africa confirmed the death, and Dosio’s body is being repatriated to California with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Gabon.
In heartfelt testimony to news outlets back home, family and friends described Dosio as a “good old country boy” who loved the outdoors, had hunted since childhood, and maintained a trophy room filled with animals from his travels across Africa and North America. In addition to his passion for the great outdoors, he was also remembered for his philanthropy through the Elks Lodge, supporting veterans, children, and community causes.
The attack occurred in one of the world’s last strongholds for African forest elephants, a smaller, critically endangered subspecies distinct from the larger savanna elephants. Gabon, in Central Africa on the Atlantic coast, is home to roughly 95,000 forest elephants, representing about two-thirds of the global total. Recent surveys peg the continent-wide forest elephant population at around 135,000–145,000 individuals.
These elephants are often found in dense, humid rainforests like Gabon’s, where they play a vital “mega-gardener” role by dispersing seeds and shaping the ecosystem. They can be more aggressive than savanna elephants when they feel threatened, especially cows protecting calves, and the thick jungle makes surprise encounters like this one more likely.
wagonhoundoutfitters.com
While Gabon represents a success story for forest elephants (thanks to relatively intact habitat and anti-poaching efforts), the overall African elephant situation remains mixed. Despite continent-wide numbers remaining below historical levels, southern Africa stands out as a bright spot.
Countries like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and parts of South Africa have seen stable, growing populations for decades, driven by strong anti-poaching campaigns, protected areas, community incentives, and, you guessed it, regulated trophy hunting. In these nations, hunting generates revenue for conservation, funds ranger patrols, and gives local communities economic reasons to protect wildlife rather than turn to poaching or agriculture.
Unfortunately, anti-hunting campaigns and import bans in some Western countries have at times reduced funding for these programs, further making a case for the practical value of regulated hunting in places where it’s well-managed.
And in a world where some will undoubtedly relish at the idea of the hunter becoming the hunted, it’s important to remember that hunts like this one’s rumored $40,000 price tag often do the bulk of the heavy lifting when it comes to conserving wildlife on the Dark Continent.
Rest in peace, Ernie.
