Swiss Cow Uses Tools to Scratch, Stuns Scientists

Scientists thought cows couldn't use tools, but a Swiss brown cow in Austria just proved them wonderfully wrong.

Veronika, a pet cow living on an organic farm, has learned to pick up sticks and brushes with her tongue, grip them with her teeth, and use them to scratch herself. What makes this remarkable is how she adjusts her technique based on what she needs to reach.

When cognitive biologist Alice Auersperg from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna first watched footage of Veronika, she knew this wasn't random behavior. "This was a meaningful example of tool use," Auersperg said.

To study Veronika's abilities, researchers visited the farm with owner Witgar Wiegele's permission. They placed a deck scrub broom in different positions and watched what happened across 76 different trials.

Every single time, Veronika figured it out. She used her tongue to lift the broom, positioned it just right in her mouth, and clamped down with her teeth for a stable grip.

The real surprise came in how she adapted her approach. Veronika used the soft brush end to scrub her upper body with sweeping motions. For sensitive lower areas like her udders and belly, she switched to the stick end and used gentle, precisely targeted pushes.

She even anticipated which end she'd need before picking up the broom. That kind of planning shows problem-solving skills researchers didn't think cows possessed.

Tool use was once considered uniquely human, then observed in primates, dolphins, and even birds like crows and cockatoos. But livestock like cows have been largely ignored in cognitive research, despite living alongside humans for thousands of years.

Why This Inspires

Veronika's story reminds us that intelligence comes in many forms and can surprise us in the most unexpected places. Her ability to use tools likely emerged because she lives in a complex, open environment with regular human interaction, unlike most farm animals.

The research suggests that when given the chance, cows can develop sophisticated problem-solving skills. They're not simple creatures just grazing in fields but animals capable of creative thinking and adaptability.

As the researchers wrote in Current Biology, "Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist."

Veronika's scratching may seem like a small thing, but it opens our eyes to the hidden potential in animals we've underestimated for far too long.