April 25, 2026 at 11:30 am

Pacific AgriLands Inc. owner Ernie Dosio was crushed to death by a group of elephants in Central Africa, according to multiple news reports this week.

Dosio, 75, was hunting a yellow-backed duiker — a type of antelope — April 17 in Gabon, a country of nearly 2.5 million people , when he came across the five female elephants who were joined by a juvenile elephant, according to the Guardian.

The Daily Mail reported that Dosio was on a guided expedition in the Lopé-Okanda rainforest at the time. The elephants reportedly appeared “as if from nowhere .” Dosio had a shotgun at the time; however, it was meant for smaller animals.

Safari company Collect Africa confirmed its client’s death and the injury of a professional hunter, according to the Daily Mail.

Dosio was a member of the California-Hawaii Elks Association, according to Lodi Lodge 1900 Secretary Tommy Whitman, who confirmed Dosio’s death.

“It is with a most heavy heart and sadness that I am reporting the passing of Ernie…