Mother whale dies when stranded with calf

Rescuers failed to save a mother whale founded stranded on a Texas beach during the weekend and struggled to keep her calf alive. The two dwarf sperm whales were transported Saturday to a rehabilitation tank. The mother, who was believed to be ill, later died, the Houston Chronicle reported. "It has been obvious from the mother's behavior initially that she was not doing well, and we believe this is the reason the stranding occurred," said Heidi Watts, operations coordinator for the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network.The whales were found Thursday. Whale strandings are reportedly very rare along the Texas coast. Experts were working to keep the calf alive and healthy. After rehabilitation, the calf whale will probably go to a zoo, the Chronicle reported.