75-year-old American millionaire and veteran trophy hunter, Ernie Dosio, has died after being trampled by a herd of elephants during a hunting expedition in Gabon.

Axar.az reports, Dosio, a vineyard owner from Lodi, California, was attacked on April 17 while tracking a rare antelope known as the yellow-backed duiker in dense forest in the Lope region. According to reports, Dosio and a professional hunter unexpectedly encountered five elephants guarding a calf, triggering a sudden and violent charge.

The elephants, described as emerging “from nowhere,” first injured the accompanying hunter before turning on Dosio, who was unable to defend himself with only a shotgun. He was killed in the stampede, while the professional hunter survived with serious injuries.

Dosio was well known in hunting circles and had amassed an extensive collection of animal trophies over decades, including species from both Africa and North America. Despite controversy surrounding big-game hunting, associates said his expeditions were legally licensed and often framed as part of wildlife population control efforts.

Beyond hunting, Dosio was a prominent agricultural businessman and founder of a major vineyard management company in California. He is survived by his partner and two children.

His body is being repatriated to the United States, as tributes from friends and colleagues describe him as a generous community figure with a long history of charitable work.