Whale dies after getting stranded on Clearwater Beach [Video]

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A stranded, juvenile whale is now dead after it was discovered near the shores of Clearwater Beach.

According to officials from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, they received calls from local law enforcement around 8:30 Tuesday night about a six-foot female whale that was in the waves about 30 feet offshore.

CMA says the animal was found disoriented and struggling. The organization was reportedly in contact with NOAA as they were trying to take care of it. 

“We did everything we could to control the environment so that it could breathe easier – minimize noise, minimize movement and lights (some bystanders had flashlights),” Marsha Strickhouser with Clearwater Marine Aquarium, said in a statement to 10 Tampa Bay.

Officials then decided to get the animal on a stretcher and put it inside a rescue truck …