Ernie Dozio, a 75-year-old American millionaire and owner of California vineyards known for his passion for big game hunting, tragically died in Central Africa. During a safari in Gabon, where he was tracking a rare yellow-backed duiker, he was trampled to death by a herd of five female elephants. The incident, reported by the Daily Mail, occurred on April 17.
Ernie Dozio, a 75-year-old American millionaire and avid big game hunter, tragically died during a safari in Central Africa. He paid a substantial $40,000 for this adventure. According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred in Gabon when Dozio was tracking a rare forest antelope — the yellow-backed duiker. The American embassy in Gabon is handling the repatriation of the deceased's body back to the United States. Although the businessman passed away on April 17, news of the tragedy has only recently come to light.
A herd consisting of five female African elephants and their calf was hidden in thick underbrush when the hunter and his professional guide found themselves just a few meters away from them. Sensing a threat to their safety, the elephants immediately charged.
"I wouldn’t want to go into details, but it’s safe to assume that it all happened quickly," the publication quoted a friend of the deceased, a former hunter from Cape Town.
Dozio had no chance of escape. Female African elephants, weighing nearly 4 tons, can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h. The hunter dropped his powerful rifle when one of the massive animals tossed him aside. In the millionaire's hands was only an antelope rifle, completely useless against the enraged giants.
"Ernie was a very well-known and popular hunter in the U.S. and Africa, a passionate conservationist, and involved in a lot of charitable work. He was really a good guy," the source emphasized.
Dozio was the owner of Pacific AgriLands, which owned a 12,000-acre vineyard in Modesto. He was a significant figure in the local Lodi community. The millionaire served on the wine commission board and was a lifetime member of the California Wildfowl hunting club. Additionally, he held the position of head of the Great Elk charitable order for 30 years.
His California home was literally a museum of trophies collected over decades of hunting around the world. Among them were the heads of exotic animals: from elephants, rhinos, and lions to bears, crocodiles, and leopards.
