Rebecca Francis Giraffe - On Sunday, comedian Ricky Gervais tweeted the photo of an extreme hunter posing beside a dead giraffe. Since then, Rebecca Francis, giraffe hunter, has been the the target of a social media backlash, along with death threats.

According to multiple reports, Gervais criticized the photo of the 41-year-old Francis smiling next to a giraffe she had killed.

Gervais posted the photo of Rebecca Francis giraffe hunter for his 7.1 million followers to see, captioning it, "What must've happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal and then lie next to it smiling?"

The image of Rebecca Francis giraffe hunter has since been retweeted 25,000 times.

Gervais is a vocal animal activist, and he reportedly continues to speak out in support of conservation. Just this week, he tweeted about the extinction of the West African black rhino, orphaned elephants, as well as Army veterans who defend animals against poachers, reported People.

On Facebook, the photo of Rebecca Francis giraffe hunter has been shared on Facebook almost 69,000 times. While some commenters were clearly outraged, some even wished for Francis the same fate as her animal trophies.

"Giraffes are the friendliest animals ever. This b**** needs to be shot," said one commenter.

"I would probably be smiling if I shot her (the woman, not the giraffe, you morons," wrote another.

Apparently, Rebecca Francis giraffe hunter is a professional who is used to posting images of herself with dead animals she has hunted. She even has a website with a gallery of her big game kills such as dead lions, bears and zebras. Other wild animals she has killed include moose, deer, antelope, wildebeest, springbok and lynx.

Rebecca Francis giraffe hunter is reportedly a mother of eight from Utah. In 2010, she became somewhat of a celebrity huntress after winning a reality show called Extreme Huntress. She also co-hosted a show called Eye of the Hunter, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

As for Francis' reaction to the controversy, according to the Business Insider, she gave an exclusive statement to HuntingLife.com.

"When I was in Africa five years ago I was of the mindset that I would never shoot a giraffe. I was approached toward the end of my hunt with a unique circumstance. They showed me this beautiful old bull giraffe that was wandering all alone," said Francis. "He had been kicked out of the herd by a younger and stronger bull. He was past his breeding years and very close to death. They asked me if I would preserve this giraffe by providing all the locals with food and other means of survival."

"He was inevitably going to die soon and he could either be wasted or utilized by the local people. I chose to honor his life by providing others with his uses and I do not regret it for one second. Once he was down there were people waiting to take his meat," she continued. "They also took his tail to make jewelry, his bones to make other things, and did not waste a single part of him. I am grateful to be a part of something so good."

Despite this statement of Rebecca Francis, giraffe hunter, many anti-hunters only seemed to criticise her more.

"Personally I don't see how she could stand at the side of the animal with a big smile on her face even if she did do it a favor," a commenter named Craig Oliver said on Facebook. "She's posing like she has a trophy!"

Oliver's comment is reportedly now one of the most "liked" responses on the HuntingLife's Facebook page.

Rebecca Francis, giraffe hunter joins Texas cheerleader Kendall Jones for receiving backlash posting pictures of herself with big game animals she has hunted, reported the Business Insider. Jones' Facebook photos with dead lions last year even resulted to a Change.org petition, reaching over 168,000 signatures that attempted to petition the American Embassy to ban Kendall Jones from hunting in Africa.