A wildlife cinematographer has filmed himself chasing down a Tasmanian devil after it stole a block of chocolate out of his backpack.

Key points: A Tasmanian devil was rummaging through campers' backpacks on Maria Island

A Tasmanian devil was rummaging through campers' backpacks on Maria Island The video has been watched over 100,000 times on social media

The video has been watched over 100,000 times on social media A wildlife carer says campers should keep food away from animals, but admits devils can be mischievous

Daniel Hunter had set up camp for the night on Maria Island off Tasmania's east coast last week, when he and his partner heard a rustling sound behind them.

They were surprised to see a young Tasmanian devil in broad daylight rummaging through their backpacks.

"I quickly got up to check what was going on and then as I walked over, it proceeded to pull the block of chocolate out of our bags and ran off," he said.

"At first I was amazed because it's obviously very special to see a devil in the wild but then I came to my senses and realised this probably isn't good. I don't know if chocolate's good for devils."

Mr Hunter said he thought he better get the chocolate back.

"I went over to grab it off it and it started running away," he said.

"Next thing I started chasing it like the fool that I am and finally got it back luckily."

The video has since had over 100,000 views on Twitter, after Mr Hunter posted it on Monday.

"It's gone crazy. I think it's a good sign, given all the sad news going on with the wildlife and wild fires, it's a little bit of a relief to see a funny video with a native animal," he said.

"It's one of those moments that will be etched into my memory.

"It was very special."

'I'm not surprised at all'

Greg Irons, the owner of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, said Tasmanian devils had a mischievous streak.

"This is one of those funny cases, where nature meets humans and can provide quite a laugh," he said.

"When you get to know them [devils] and how mischievous they really are and what their true personality actually is, I'm not surprised at all. Though, I wouldn't have picked the chocolate.

"The age-old rumour is that you should never leave your boots outside of your tent because they're the prime target for devils — especially leather boots."

Tasmanian devils have a mischievous streak. ( Supplied: Max Moller, Black Devil Productions )

Mr Irons said he had even heard a story about a Tasmanian devil stealing a dozen football jumpers.

"A local guy was washing all the young lads' football jumpers and they all disappeared from the washing line," he said.

"There was a news story because who would steal these jumpers? And about two years later, when investigating a devil living under the house, they found the entire set of footy jumpers and the devil had made a beautiful den lined with them."

He said campers should keep food away from animals.

"It's always a worry that people will try to feed animals on purpose of course, but if you're just sitting at a campsite filming a devil and it runs up and nicks your chocolate unknowingly, that's just a bit of bad luck," he said.

"We know what effects something like chocolate has on a dog, and our animals just aren't designed to eat things like that.

"So we should always be aware of it while we're at a campsite, not just tossing food into a bush."