The release of the first immunised, captive-bred Tasmanian devils into the wild has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against the disease which threatens to wipe them out.

Tasmanian devil populations have been devastated by a fatal facial cancer.

Previously, healthy animals have only been released into the wild on Tasmania's Maria Island which did not have an existing population.

Late on Friday, 20 devils born in captivity were released into Narawntapu National Park, in the state's north, to join the area's wild population.

The animals are also the first to receive a specially developed vaccine to fight the disease.

It is seen as a potentially pivotal moment in the major fight to save the endangered species.

Scientist Samantha Fox oversees management of the wild population under the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

She has spent the past seven years monitoring how the wild population reacts to the disease and described the release as a turning point.

"Now we feel like we are actually doing something - putting devils back in the park," she aid.

"So as a conservation biologist, I guess the ideal thing for you when working with an endangered species is seeing them go back into the wild."

Testing the air: a captive bred devil gets ready to try the wild side. ( Department of Environment )

The release of captive bred devils has taken a year of planning and involved acclimatising the devils to the "smell of the wild" using scat.

"The environment may look foreign but they have familiar smells around them and in that way they are likely to settle quickly," Dr Fox said.

"If they come across a wild devil, they are going to know each other through a familiar scent so there is less likely to be a lot of antagonistic, aggressive behaviour and they are more likely to stay in the park so we can monitor them over time."

The release of 20 devils last month was hailed as a turning point in the fight against a fatal Tasmanian devil facial cancer. ( Department of Environment )

The first devil, released by Environment Minister Matthew Groom, ventured into its new surroundings quickly but others were not so keen.

"The all had different reactions - they all have their own little personalities," Ms Fox said.

"Some were asleep so we didn't see anything out of them until it got dark.

"Luckily for us, the devil we assigned to the Minister left quite quickly so the Minister actually got to see a devil."

Scientists hope the devils will adapt to their new surroundings and stay within the park.

"If they stay within the park, it is a fairly safe environment for them and there is less likelihood of other threats such as roadkill, such as dogs, persecution - some of that still happens.

Mission accomplished: a devil ventures into its new home. ( Department of Environment )

Vaccine now faces big field test

The animals' release also represents the first time the vaccine has been tested in the field.

One of the developers, Doctor Bruce Lyons from the University of Tasmania, said after 10 years in the laboratory it was an exciting development.

"Basically what we've got is a big experiment which we couldn't have done in the laboratory, so we will be monitoring the immune system of the devils to determine if they have a durable immune response over time," he said.

Sorry, this video has expired Devil takes first steps into the wild ( Troy Melville )

"Here we have a real life situation to see what happens to the devils in their natural environment which is really important."

One of the markers of the program's success will be if the devils show signs of reproducing.

The first known cases of diseased devils in Narawntapu were found in 2007.

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program's David Pemberton said the release of captive devils into the wild was cause for optimism given that 80 per cent of the population had been wiped out.

"The disease has hit the west coast around Granville Harbour and Henty dunes," he said.

"So we are heading to a scenario where we have a very low population but still spread across the state, so that gives us management options."