California big-game hunter ‘crushed’ to death by elephants in Africa, reports say

Lodi resident and Pacific AgriLands Inc. owner Ernie Dosio was crushed to death by a group of Elephants in Central Africa, according to multiple news reports this week.

Dosio, 75, was hunting a yellow-backed duiker — a type of antelope — April 17 in Gabon, a country of nearly 2.5 million people, when he came across the five female elephants who were joined by a juvenile elephant, according to the Guardian.

The Daily Mail reported that Dosio was on a guided expedition in the Lopé-Okanda rainforest at the time. The elephants reportedly appeared “as if from nowhere.” Dosio had a shotgun at the time; however, it was meant for smaller animals.

Safari company Collect Africa confirmed its client’s death and the injury of a professional hunter, according to the Daily Mail.

Dosio was a member of the California-Hawaii Elks Association, according to Lodi Lodge 1900 Secretary Tommy Whitman, who confirmed Dosio’s death.

“It is with a most heavy heart and sadness that I am reporting the passing of Ernie Dosio earlier this week,” Whitman wrote in a statement. “May all of our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.”

Dosio was a member of the organization for about 30 years, according to Whitman. Reached by The Sacramento Bee by phone Saturday morning, Whitman declined further comment.

Collect Africa, Pacific AgriLands and the Sacramento Safari Club did not immediately respond to The Bee’s requests for comment.

This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 10:31 AM with the headline "California big-game hunter ‘crushed’ to death by elephants in Africa, reports say."