<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A US millionaire and enthusiastic big game hunter has died by being trampled to death by </span><a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations/african-safari/315bb7ee-4b75-4c68-ba48-39ef015faa55" rel="" target="" title="elephants"><span>elephants</span></a><span> in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/africa" rel="" target="" title="Africa"><span>Africa</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/california" rel="" target="" title="California"><span>California</span></a><span> vineyard owner Ernie Dosio was in dense forest in the country of Gabon when he and his guide stumbled upon five female elephants and a calf.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The startled elephants set upon the two, seriously hurting the guide and killing Dosio, 75.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/ghislaine-maxwell-pardon-donald-trump-clemency-jeffrey-epstein-usa-news/8372ac2a-a009-40d6-b287-edb89e010d27" rel="" target="" title="Push in Congress for Ghislaine Maxwell to be pardoned"><strong><span>Push in Congress for Ghislaine Maxwell to be pardoned</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite their immense size, it is very possible to be taken by surprise by elephants in thick African forests.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I would rather not go into detail, but it is safe to assume it would have been quick," a friend of Dosio told the </span><em><span>Daily Mail</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Although many disagree with big-game hunting, all Ernie's hunts were strictly licensed and above board and were registered as conservation in culling animal numbers."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/hunter-killed-by-elephants-gabon-africa-usa-news/1c3587a0-464a-4a35-89a3-2a01b1be134a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dosio was on a hunt for a yellow-backed duiker, a forest-dwelling antelope.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/iran-negotiations-jd-vance--jared-kushner-donald-trump-son-in-law-steve-witkoff/a2728961-6d5e-4e48-a834-ae9214820426"><strong><span>Trump sends son-in-law to negotiate with Iran, JD Vance not included</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Duikers are shy and known to blindly sprint away from danger, making them a difficult animal to hunt. They are listed as near-threatened.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dosio ran a winery in California's Central Valley west of San Francisco.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An enthusiast big game hunter, his trophy room was full of animals, including what appears to be a taxidermied lion, and the heads of a hippo and rhinoceros.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dosio was also a beloved and long-serving member of the Elks, a fraternal order.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It is with a most heavy heart and sadness that I am reporting the passing of Ernie Dosio earlier this week," a statement from Elks Lodi Lodge secretary Tommy Whitman said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"May all of our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He will be sorely missed."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The African forest elephant is a critically endangered animal. There are tens of thousands of them in Gabon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gabon is known for its dense forests, an ideal habitat for that species of elephant.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-robert-f-kennedy-percentages-math-usa-news/b870d6f8-2acb-4764-bd6c-77cc8e04ef7a"><strong><span>Trump, Kennedy double down on their impossible mathematics claims</span></strong></a><strong><em></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>