Kellan Lutz defends Twilight's wolves

Kellan Lutz has defended the use of real wolves at a Twilight party in Los Angeles following criticism from animal rights activists, insisting the creatures were in a "loving environment" and "treated very well".

Campaigners at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) were left fuming when they found out three live wolves were brought to an afterparty event following the glitzy premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 on Monday night.

They took aim at organisers for subjecting the animals to "blaring music and flashing lights" during the bash, insisting they received "calls, emails and photos" from concerned party-goers.

However, Twilight star Lutz, who attended the event, insists the creatures were not mistreated.

He tells New York Post gossip column Page Six, "I would love to know where the wolves came from. It's not like we took them out of the wild. Not to step on PETA's shoes or anything, but they are in a loving environment, they're treated very well, and I don't think we can point fingers at anyone for having a collar on too tight... I hope I'm not making enemies over there, because I am very much for PETA. I think the wolves were so sweet. It was a good addition."

Another Twilight premiere party in New York on Thursday featured a pair of stuffed wolves instead of the real thing.