Is Dr. Michelle Oakley still married to Shane Oakley?
Introduction
Being a big name on a TV channel as big as National Geographic Wild is challenging.
While we are sure it pays extremely well, it is not easy to be a part of it.
These channels are demanding for the people involved in the shows, often becoming famous and having to deal with the life of a celebrity and whatever it is they do on the show itself.
One person who fits that bill is Dr. Michelle Oakley.
Having made her name as the fact of Dr Oakley, Yukon Vet series of Nat Geo Wild, she is a well-loved part of the Nat Geo Wild scene.
The show started in April 2012, and in the 12-plus years since it first appeared, it has attracted a huge audience.
People who love animals and those interested to know what the life of a vet must be like tune in regularly.
However, given that the show has been running for so long, it is easy to feel like we know the people who are involved in the show on a personal level.
That is especially the case with Michelle Oakley, the star of the show in many ways. For years, though, there have been rumors online that Dr. Oakley has split from her husband – is that true?
Is Dr. Oakley still married, or has she gotten a divorce?
Let’s take a look at the details so we can try to determine whether or not Dr Oakley is still in a marriage with her husband.
Short Biography
Maya Oakley, Dr. Michelle Oakley, and Sierra Oakley poses for a portrait during the 2018 Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour – @Getty
As you probably know, Dr. Michelle Oakley is an all-species veterinarian in the Yukon Territory area.
Born on the 16th of September 1969, Dr. Oakley grew up in Indiana, eventually moving to Michigan to study zoology, where she received her bachelor’s degree in the subject.
She then went to the Atlantic Veterinary College, and in 2000, she obtained her veterinary medicine doctorate.
Armed with the skills needed to treat animals of all different varieties, she is one of the leading experts in the region she covers.
For hundreds of miles, she is the only expert who can deal with any animal species.
Other vets in the area exist, but they lack her specialist skills and ability to negotiate with any animal species. So, she often deals with people who need emergency treatment and support for specific animals.
Michelle Oakley and Maya Oakley attend the 2022 ABC Disney Upfront at Basketball City – Pier 36 – South Street – @Getty
Also, Dr. Oakley is known for dealing with the Yukon Territory’s many ‘off the grid’ individuals.
This means that they often lack access to essentials that we all take for granted, like permanent running water and access to power on-demand.
As such, she made her name by helping people who might otherwise struggle to find treatment and support for their animal companions.
Over time, she has become the go-to emergency veterinarian for groups such as the American Bald Eagle Foundation and the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.
In the past, she has worked for various groups like the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center and with programs in Scandinavia and even in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Jan Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol, Michelle Oakley of Dr. Oakley, Yukun Vet and Diane Pol attend the National Geographic Channel Nat Geo WILD 2014-2015 Upfront – @Getty
Dr. Oakley uses her ability to help animals to great success, operating programs nationally and internationally that play a role in assisting people to look after wildlife and pets.
Is Dr. Michelle Oakley Married?
Yes, she is. Years before her doctorate, Dr. Oakley married her husband, Shane Oakley. A Yukon native himself, Dr. Oakley met her husband when they were high school students. The couple eventually got married in 1992 in Hawaii. After her marriage, she went on to earn her doctorate and thus started building the career that made her famous.
Her husband, though, is not a veterinarian.
He is a firefighter and a conservation officer. However, while they might not share the same profession, they share a natural love for the natural world and one another.
They both have a natural love of the environment and animals.
The couple also share three children. Their daughters, Sierra, Maya, and Willow Oakley, have very exciting careers ahead of them.
Sierra intends to follow in her mother’s footsteps and move into the Yukon veterinary business while Maya studies criminal justice.
This is clearly a family with a lot of love and empathy for the world, whether it is people, places, or pets.
However, less is known about Willow.
Michelle Oakley speaks onstage during the ‘Nat Geo Wild – The Women of Nat Geo WILD’ panel discussion at the National Geographic Channels portion of the 2014 Winter Television Critics Association tour – @Getty
Is Dr Oakley Still Married?
Since Dr Oakley and her husband have been together since the 1990s, people wonder why there is no more information about Shane. After all, Michelle has become a bit of a name herself – you would assume that with the intense speculation around her life, there would be more information about her family out there.
However, it would appear that she is still happily married to her husband, Shane. The fact that Shane no longer appears on her popular TV shows, though, drove many people to speculate that they must have separated.
Why Is Shane Oakley Not On The Show Anymore?
Shane no longer appears on the show because he is not a trained veterinarian.
While he does work within the firefighting and conservation world, he is not a vet. Therefore, he cannot appear on her show as much as you would have expected.
The show often now revolves around the animals, whereas in the past, it would have focused more on Dr. Oakley and her family.
As such, it was not rare for her family – Shane and the kids, Maya and Sierra – to appear on the show at the same time.
Now, though, we do not often see the family. However, we should hopefully see more of Sierra if she follows in her mother’s footsteps and moves into the industry to help her out.
Shane has made some appearances in the past, appearing in Season 5 a couple of times, with a few appearances back in Season 2 and Season 3. However, as the seasons have passed, we have seen less and less of Shane.
Fear not, though; there is no reason for this other than that Shane is not a veterinarian.
The show has gradually moved to be more focused on animal care and the stresses of the job as opposed to the life and times of Dr Oakley and her family.
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