These are the first pictures of an owl chick that has grown ten times the size of an egg in just 11 weeks.

Staff at the Scottish Owl Centre in West Lothian have welcomed adorable milky eagle owl, Nala, who already weighs 1.5kg.

Nala, named after The Lion King, was brought to the centre in West Lothian in June after popular owl Sarabi died just before Christmas last year.

Keepers say the 11-week-old owl, who was born in Belgium and moved to the centre, has already become a big hit with visitors.

Trystan Williams, a senior keeper at the Scottish Owl Centre, takes Nala home some nights to care for her.

He said: "Staff look after her at home at night and bring her back into the owl centre the next day.

"She will have a 6ft wingspan when she's fully grown.

"She weighs just over 1.5kg but will weigh over 2kg when she's grown.

"She's very gentle with everyone, at first she seemed really shy but she is becoming braver each day.

"She's calm, she's just a big friendly giant. In Africa, that's what they call them."

When Sarabi passed away keepers felt they had to bring a similar animal to the centre.

Trystan added: "The name Sarabi in Swahili means mirage and Nala in Swahili means gift.

"Both of the owls were named after The Lion King.

"Nala is having a good impact on everyone at the centre at the moment.

"They are long-lived birds, they are expected to live between 20 to 30 years and when Sarabi died she had lived for 23 years."

Milky eagle owls are one of the largest owls in the world.

The owls normally hunt at night, and long-term pairs usually produce two eggs a year, often with only one surviving to fledge.