Ricky Gervais has led an online charge against 'trophy hunters ' after posting a picture of an Extreme Huntress winner lying next to a dead giraffe and smiling . The comedian was outraged when he came across the picture of American grandmother-of-nine Rebecca Francis , who won the reality TV show Extreme Huntress in 2010 . 'What must 've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal & then lie next to it smiling ? ' a furious Gervais tweeted . Trophy : Ricky Gervais posted this picture of Extreme Huntress winner Rebecca Francis on his Twitter feed . Disgust : The animal-lover sent it out with this message - which got retweeted thousands of times . Proud : Francis , a grandmother-of-nine , is passionate about hunting - and regularly posts pictures of her kills . Francis then found herself at the centre of a social media storm , as 14,543 people retweeted it - with some even tweeting they hoped she dies ' a lonely , painful death ' . Jason Arnopp ( ‏ @ JasonArnopp ) tweeted : 'It 's a special kind of psychopathy , it really is . ' The Doom ‏ ( @ JamesVonDoom ) added : 'Why the **** are they shooting Giraffes ? A standing giraffe is probably easier to hit than a `` sitting duck '' . ' Despite the outcry , Francis , a mother of eight in her mid-40s , is far from alone in her passion for hunting down animals for sport . Tens of thousands of tourists travel to Africa every year to collect 'trophies ' , from warthogs to elephants . Those wanting to hunt down giraffes to add to their collections can do so quite easily , with entire tour companies dedicated to the 'sport ' . Killing a giraffe will cost somewhere in the region of $ 3,000 , or £2,037 , with the cost of the day 's hunting on top - about $ 440 ( £298 ) . Extreme : Francis ' biography reveals she hopes to inspire more women to get involved with hunting . Global : She has travelled all over the world to hunt - shooting dead zebra , lion and giraffes . Record : Francis has recently achieved the 'Grand Slam of North America ' - hunting down all the species of sheep native to the continent with her bow . She is only the second woman to achieve the feat . But while those like Gervais are horrified by the idea , Francis is a proud advocate for the sport - which has seen her travel the world in search of the latest 'trophy ' . Indeed , a biography for Francis on Sheepshape - a 'documentary/reality ' programme which follows four hunters trying to overcome a set of personal problems by hunting North American sheep - says : 'Rebecca loves to share her passion for hunting with her kids and other women . 'She hopes to help more women get out there and pursue their interest . ' Her own website boasts of becoming the second American woman to get the 'Grand Slam of North America ' with her bow - which means she has killed all four species native to North America . 'Achieving the full curl with a bow is like reaching the top of that mountain and crossing that finish line , which was my dream that began 18 years ago when I came home from my first rifle sheep hunt , ' she told the Unita County Herald . The MailOnline has contacted Francis for a comment .
Comedian Ricky Gervais led an online charge against Rebecca Francis . The Brit shared a picture of the grandmother lying next to her 'trophy ' Caused to an online backlash against Francis - with 14,543 retweeting post . Francis is proud of hunting and hopes to inspire more women to take part .