A 75-year-old American hunter was crushed to death by a pack of elephants while he was in a safari lodge in the Lopé-Okanda National Park, a protected area located in the central region of Gabon, in Central Africa.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Ernie Dossan agricultural businessman and vineyard owner in California, paid nearly $40,000 for the guided expedition to capture a yellow-backed duiker, a species of artiodactyl mammal of the Bovidae family that inhabits the jungles of Africa.
The incident occurred on Friday, April 17, when Dosio and the professional guide who accompanied him were surprised by five female elephants and their calf. «Feeling threatened, the elephants attacked them immediately,» a retired hunter friend of Dosio told the British media.
He explained that Dosio was a «very well-known and popular» hunterespecially in the United States and Africa, territories where throughout his life he hunted everything from elephants and rhinos, to leopards, buffalos and lions, in addition to all species of wild servants.
«In addition, he was a fervent environmental defender; He did a lot of charity work and was a really cool guy. «What happened deeply moved many people on both sides of the Atlantic,» he said.
While the expedition’s guide, a professional hunter, was seriously injured, Dosio did not manage to survive the onslaught. «The elephants they were so well hidden that appeared as if they had come out of nowhere,» said the hunter quoted by the Daily Mail.
«While many disagree with big game hunting, all of Ernie’s hunts were licensed, conducted completely legally and recorded as conservation measures to control animal numbers,» he added.
The United States Embassy in Gabon explained that it is already in contact with Dosio’s family to transfer his body to California, but warned that it could take «several days.»
Who was Ernie Dosio, the businessman who died on safari
Dosio lived outside Lodi, about 30 miles south of Sacramento with his partner Betty. Father of two children, he owned Pacific AgriLandsa company that has a 4,856 hectare vineyard in the city of Modesto, but specializes in the management of local wine estates.
One of his sons, Jeff, owns a company that provides custom-made grape harvesting equipment for the entire region, where about 40 percent of California wines are produced, he said. Daily Mail. Their other son, Blake, is also a farmer and works in the family business.
Additionally, Dosio was a member of the Sacramento Safari Club, a life member of the California Wildfowl hunting group, and a board member of the Lodi Local Wine Grape Commission. He also held the position of Grand Elk in the Central California District Elks, a charitable group composed of 1,900 lodges with 750,000 members throughout the United States.
«Ernie was a great member of Elk for 30 years and a pillar of our community. He will be deeply missed,» they wrote in a Facebook post.
