US Millionaire Big-Game Hunter Crushed to Death by Elephants in Gabon
What happened
Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old American millionaire and California vineyard owner, was crushed to death by elephants while on a hunting expedition in Gabon. Dosio and his guide were in the Lopé-Okanda rainforest pursuing yellow-backed duiker — a large, secretive antelope — when they came across a herd of five female elephants accompanied by a calf.
How it happened
Forest elephants are smaller and shyer than savanna elephants, but a cow with a calf nearby is among the most dangerous animals in Africa. The two men reportedly tried to retreat; the elephants charged. Dosio was killed at the scene.
Why it's drawing attention
- The legality. Trophy hunting permits in Gabon are tightly restricted. Dosio's exact permit status is part of what investigators are now examining.
- The optics. Wealthy big-game hunters dying on hunts they paid heavily to undertake almost always become global stories — and almost always reignite the debate over the ethics of trophy hunting in central African forests.
- The science. Forest-elephant populations have collapsed in the past two decades. Even regulated hunting in their habitat is contentious among conservationists.
What to watch
- A statement from Gabon's environment ministry on permits and on the future of hunting in Lopé-Okanda.
- Civil action: families and vineyards involved in the estate.
- Whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service comments, given import-permit implications for any trophies.
Sources
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