Austrian Cow Veronika Uses Tools Like Chimps Do

For the first time ever, scientists have watched a cow grab a stick and use it like a back scratcher, proving cattle are way smarter than we thought.

Meet Veronika, a 10-year-old cow living her best life on an Austrian farm. She's not raised for meat or milk, and nobody taught her tricks. Instead, she taught herself something remarkable: how to find branches in the grass, pick the right one with her mouth, and use it to scratch those hard-to-reach itchy spots.

Until now, only chimps had convincingly shown this kind of tool use among land mammals. Recent studies added whales to the list of marine animals smart enough to use complex tools. Now Veronika is joining that exclusive group.

Veterinary researchers in Vienna couldn't believe their eyes when videos of Veronika started circulating online. They visited the farm and ran controlled tests to see if her talent was real. Over multiple sessions, they confirmed she made consistent, smart choices about which tools to use.

Here's where it gets really impressive. Veronika doesn't just grab any stick and start scratching. She actually chooses different textures based on what she needs in the moment, sometimes picking soft bristles and other times selecting stiffer points. She even uses different parts of the same tool for specific purposes and adjusts her technique depending on which body part needs attention.

The researchers published their findings in Current Biology. While they note that using a stick to scratch is "less complex" than, say, using a sharp rock to crack open seeds, they're still blown away by Veronika's decision-making skills.

Why This Inspires

Veronika's story reminds us that intelligence shows up in unexpected places. Her unique living situation likely played a big role in her development. Unlike cattle raised for production, she's spent a decade exploring an open environment filled with objects she could manipulate. That freedom sparked innovation.

Scientists are now hunting for more videos of tool-using cattle to learn whether other cows share this hidden talent. Miquel Llorente, a psychology professor at the University of Girona who wasn't involved in the study, called it "a fascinating example of convergent evolution," where intelligence emerges as a response to problems, no matter how different the animal.

The discovery challenges everything we thought we knew about farm animals and opens new questions about the rich inner lives of creatures we've long overlooked.