CA Millionaire, Big-Game Hunter Killed By Elephant On African Safari: Report

LODI, CA — A Northern California business owner's hunting trip in Gabon — central Africa — took an unexpected turn when the 75-year-old man was reportedly gored by an elephant.

Ernie Dosio, who owns Pacific AgriLands, a farm management company, was on a $40,000 guided hunting trip with "Collect Africa," when the incident happened on April 17, the New York Times reported.

Dosio, who lived in Lodi, was with two other people when they unexpectedly encountered a herd of five female elephants and one calf when the adults charged multiple times. One of the elephants gored Dosio with its tusks, the New York Times reported.

The elephants suddenly emerged from "dense undergrowth" in the rainforest before they began charging at Dosio and his guide, the Daily Mail reported.

Collect Africa confirmed the death of its client. The hunter who guided Dosio survived, but sustained serious injuries, Daily Mail reported.

On its website, Collect Africa, based in Coral Gables, Florida, is described as an "Your Species Collecting Concierge."

Pictures of Dosio's home showed an collection of wildlife trophies.

Family friends said Dosio went on the hunting trip hoping to kill a yellow-backed duiker. The yellow-backed duiker is known for its normally shy and timid behavior and usually dwells forests.

Trophy hunting is a controversial practice around the world, which conservationists and wildlife preservationists have criticized, attributing the practice to disrupting wildlife population and adversely affecting the environment.

Gabon's forests are also home to many African forest elephants, which is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.