Posted on 04/24/2026 4:54:55 AM PDT by DFG
A millionaire US big-game hunter was ambushed and killed by five elephants whilst hunting small forest antelope in central Africa.
Californian vineyard owner Ernie Dosio, 75 - who owns a vast collection of exotic animal heads in trophy rooms at home - was trampled to death.
He was being guided by a professional hunter in the thick forest of Gabon on a £30,000 stalk for a shot at the elusive yellow-backed duiker.
Over the decades he has hunted elephants, leopard, rhino, buffalo and lion across Africa and back home in the US he has hunted almost every species of wild deer.
But the highly respected hunter's luck ran out last Friday while in the Lope-Okanda rainforest when his hunt stumbled into five female elephants with a calf.
African elephants are the largest living mammals and females can stand 12ft tall at the shoulder, weigh nearly four tons and run at speeds of up to 25mph
The startled elephant herd immediately charged Mr Dosio and his professional hunter.
The elephants were so well hidden in the dense undergrowth they appeared 'as if from nowhere' and the professional with the high-powered rifle was just flung aside.
He was seriously injured and lost his gun in the thick bush as the elephants attacked the terrified hunter with just a shotgun who was then brutally trampled underfoot.
A retired game hunter in Cape Town who knows the victim said: 'Ernie has been hunting since he could hold a rifle and has many trophies from Africa and the US.
'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.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
I agree. Also, the animals have a quicker death than they would being chewed to death by another animal!
Thanks for expressing the contrarian position.
FYI,
I have never hunted big game in Africa.
However,I know someone who has twice in South Africa.
The hunter provides a huge income to the area and country.
The shooting of game is greatly controlled.
There is a price tag for every animal.
Starting around $1000 for a wildabeast and exceeding $30000 for an elephant or male lion.
They ONLY let you shoot the older NON breeding animals.
Like a thirty year old elephant that is a few years away from a natural death.
Then ALL the meat goes to the local village.
They typically throw a party for the person that provides meat to them.
Same with all the other beasts
In addition you are paying for a licensed guide and trackers
Basically your hunt provides the economic welfare of the area.
Personally I think trophy hunting is stupid.
Hunting for food or removing destructive dangerous animals are perfectly acceptable.
Well, there’s the saying, “an elephant never forgets”, so maybe they were witness to an earlier taking of one of there own, and recognized him.
I sat next to a South African safari guide on a plane once. He kind of implied that they have they=ir own way of permanently dealing with poachers.
According to the book, The Nature of the Beast, written by a British conservation agent back in the early 60s, a heck of a lot of the most experienced and knowledgeable agents and big game hunters are taken out by the prey.
Did not Teddy Roosevelt kill RARE African animals for trophies. Certain men have egos much larger than their stature.And they compensate by killing.
How can you be so stupid as to set yourself up with 5 elephants in view.
Stumbling into a hidden herd is a bit different than getting ambushed, but yea, don’t mess with elephants!
I once shot an elephant in my pajamas.
How he got in my pajamas, I have no idea.
Groucho Marx
Darwin Award.
Personally I think trophy hunting is stupid.
Hunting for food or removing destructive dangerous animals are perfectly acceptable.
Back in the day hunting saber-toothed tigers, mastodons, and woolly mammoths was a lot more dangerous!
Those were the days when one had to get up really close and shoot them with a 1911.
I agree. Also, the animals have a quicker death than they would being chewed to death by another animal!
All animals die. In nature, very few animals die of old age. I guess you could call it old age when an apex predator slowly starves to death because he cannot hunt very well any more.
George Eastman was a big game hunter...and all his trips were well documented.
They have to be hunted to keep their numbers in check or they’ll destroy the environment. Especially elephants. Also, it costs a lot of money to hunt them which is used to maintain the animals and sends money into the local economies.
The level of ignorance and lack of humanity in people is shocking at times.
Yep. I also feel the same way when people want to 'test' themselves against Mother Nature. For example, climbing mountains when they shouldn't be. If you want 'nature', you just might find it...
“African elephants are the largest living mammals...”
Wrong. Author needs to proof-read his writing. Whales are the largest. Elephants are the largest land mammals.
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