Austrian Cow Uses Tools Like a Chimp (And Scientists Are Shocked)

Veronika the cow just rewrote what scientists thought they knew about cattle intelligence.

The 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow lives as a beloved pet in Nötsch, a picturesque village in southern Austria. When she wants her back scratched and no humans are around, she grabs sticks, rakes, or brushes with her mouth and does it herself.

That alone would be impressive. But Veronika does something even more remarkable.

When researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna gave her a deck brush, she used different ends for different jobs. The bristle end got long, broad strokes across her back and rear. The handle end? She used that for gentle poking on sensitive areas like her udder and belly.

Scientists call this "multi-purpose tool use." Until now, only chimpanzees and humans had been recorded doing it.

Alice Auersperg, an animal behavior expert, first saw Veronika in a video and thought it might be AI. She and colleague Antonio Osuna-Mascaro traveled to the Austrian village to see for themselves. After several weeks and 70 trials, they confirmed Veronika was real and her skills were genuine.

Their findings appeared in Current Biology in January 2026.

Why This Inspires

Osuna-Mascaro spent weeks with Veronika and discovered she's a bit like a cat. She doesn't rush up to strangers like a dog would. You have to earn her trust.

The researchers don't think Veronika is a "bovine Einstein." They think her living situation unlocked abilities most cows have but never get to show.

Unlike nearly every other cow on Earth, Veronika isn't raised for milk or meat. She roams her meadow freely, surrounded by objects she can pick up and explore. Her owner says it took her years to perfect her scratching technique.

Most cows never make it to 13 years old. Most never get the chance to show what they might be capable of.

"We have no proof whatsoever that cows are stupid animals," Auersperg said. The problem isn't cow intelligence. It's that we've never given them the opportunity to demonstrate it.

The researchers suspect tool use might be common in cattle if more were given Veronika's lifestyle. We've domesticated cows for 10,000 years, assume they're simple because they're livestock, and never bothered to look closer.

Veronika is changing that assumption one scratch at a time.