Prominent Central Valley millionaire and big-game hunter Ernie Dosio was on a safari in Central Africa’s Gabon when his group was charged by a herd of elephants, which fatally trampled Dozio.

Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old Lodi-area vineyard owner, industry leader, and big-game hunter, was killed last Friday while hunting yellow-backed duiker antelope in Gabon’s Lope-Okanda rainforest, as the Guardian reports.

Dosio’s group startled a herd of five female elephants and a calf, causing the animals to charge them, and Dosio was fatally trampled. His guide was also seriously injured.

Dosio led Pacific AgriLands Inc., a Modesto-based company managing thousands of acres of vineyards and supplying harvesting equipment across the Central Valley, according to the UK’s Metro.

A member of the Sacramento Safari Club, Dosio amassed a large collection of trophies over the years, including elephants, lions, and other big game. He also hunted extensively in the US, with mounted specimens ranging from elk and moose to reindeer, as well as wildfowl like turkeys and geese.

Gabon, on Central Africa’s Atlantic coast, is often described as “Africa’s last Eden,” with about 88% of its 100,000 square miles covered in forest, per the Metro. The country is home to roughly 60% of the world’s remaining forest elephants — an estimated 100,000 animals.

Dosio’s hunts were reportedly all licensed and classified as conservation culling.

Image: Wagonhound Outfitters