text: 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.
target: 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 .