By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. April 25, 2026
Inside a rural home in El Dorado County, the walls tell stories of Africa—stories now shadowed by loss.
Mounted trophies from Zimbabwe, Cameroon and beyond line the game room of El Dorado County District 4 Supervisor candidate Robert Dietz, each representing decades of travel and shared experience. Among those memories are years spent alongside longtime friend and fellow hunter Ernie Dosio, a Lodi businessman who died April 17 2026 during a safari in Central Africa.
Dosio, 75, was killed in Gabon after a reported encounter with a herd of elephants while pursuing a rare antelope species in dense rainforest. According to multiple reports, Dosio and his professional guide came across several elephants before the animals charged.
Dietz, speaking from his El Dorado County home, said the circumstances were immediately familiar.
“I came up on a bull elephant and I was less than 50 yards away and I didn’t even see it until he flared his ears and came after me,”
Dietz said.
“He was trying to kill me. So I ran. We climbed up a tree.”
Dietz noted that his encounter occurred in open savanna, where visibility is far greater than in the rainforest terrain where Dosio was hunting.
“I missed a bull elephant 50 yards away, where Ernie was in the rainforest,” he said.
The two men shared more than three decades of friendship through the Sacramento chapter of Safari Club International, where Dietz said Dosio played a key role in supporting conservation and humanitarian efforts.
“Ernie donated a lot to the club. He was one of our biggest proponents,”
Dietz said.
“He helped fund those things for us. So he’ll be dearly missed.”
Beyond hunting, Dosio was widely known in California’s agricultural sector. As owner of Pacific AgriLands, a Modesto-based company specializing in custom harvesting and farm management, he built a reputation for leadership and generosity. Colleagues described him as a steady supporter of farming organizations throughout Lodi, Modesto and the broader Central Valley.
Those who knew Dosio say his contributions extended internationally. Dietz emphasized that safari expeditions often provided economic support to remote African communities.
“When the hunters go there, we employ them as cooks, trackers, the maids,”
Dietz said.
“The animal that we shoot feeds the village.”
He added that organized trips frequently included delivering donated clothing, shoes and school supplies to underserved villages.
While the tragedy has left a deep impact on those close to him, Dietz said he finds some measure of comfort in how his friend spent his final days.
“Ernie was doing what he loved,”
Dietz said.
Authorities in Gabon have not released additional official details about the incident.
