Healesville Sanctuary has spotted Yulgilbar, this Spring's Tasmanian Devil pup out of the pouch for the very first time.

Believed to be a girl, the last time Yulgilbar was seen was in her mother's pouch on Threatened Species Day on 7 September.

Yulgilbar has been named after the Yulgilbar Foundation who made a major gift of $400,000 towards saving the Tasmanian Devil as part of Zoos Victoria's Devils Advocate Campaign.

The Yulgilbar Foundation's generous gift is the largest grant ever made to a mainland zoo as part of the insurance breeding program to save the Tasmanian Devils from extinction.

"We are delighted to be supporting this important conservation program for the endangered Tasmanian Devil. We encourage others to become a ‘Devils Advocate' and assist Healesville Sanctuary to construct a facility that will help to ensure the future survival of the species" said Sarah and Baillieu Myer, Trustees of the Yulgilbar Foundation.

A disease that kills Tasmanian Devils was identified in 1996 and since then, more than half of them have died in the wild. This contagious cancer disease causes large tumours in the mouth, face and neck and has now affected Devils in 60 per cent of the state of Tasmania. Healesville Sanctuary is one of a number of organisations now breeding these devils in captivity in the hope that it can help prevent the extinction of the Tasmanian Devil.

Photographs courtesy of Aaron Francis, Herald Sun www.heraldsun.com.au