A team of Austrian researchers has documented what they describe as the first known case of a cow deliberately using tools, a finding that could reshape scientific understanding of livestock intelligence.
The subject of the study is Veronika, a pet Swiss brown cow owned by Carinthia resident Witgar Wiegele. According to researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Veronika has repeatedly used objects such as sticks and brushes to scratch herself in a deliberate and adaptable manner.
The behavior, observed over several years, was formally analyzed and published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology. Researchers say Veronika’s actions meet established scientific definitions of tool use, a behavior rarely attributed to cattle.
Wiegele told researchers that Veronika began picking up pieces of wood roughly a decade ago. Over time, her actions became more refined. She later adopted a long brush, demonstrating what scientists describe as purposeful decision-making by selecting specific parts of the object depending on where she intended to scratch.
According to observations, Veronika uses the brush end on areas of her body with thicker skin, while opting for the handle when scratching more sensitive regions. Researchers say this distinction suggests flexibility and situational awareness rather than random behavior.
Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, said the discovery challenges long-standing assumptions about farm animals.
“The findings highlight how assumptions about livestock intelligence may reflect gaps in observation rather than genuine cognitive limits,” Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine, said in a news release.
Auersperg said video footage of Veronika’s actions made it clear that the behavior was intentional.
“When I saw the footage, it was immediately clear that this was not accidental,” Auersperg said. “This was a meaningful example of tool use in a species that is rarely considered from a cognitive perspective.”
To confirm their conclusions, Auersperg and Antonio Osuna-Mascaró, a post-doctoral researcher at the same institution, visited Veronika in person to observe her behavior firsthand.
“We show that a cow can engage in genuinely flexible tool use,” Osuna-Mascaró said. “Veronika is not just using an object to scratch herself. She uses different parts of the same tool for different purposes, and she applies different techniques depending on the function of the tool and the body region.”
In their paper, the researchers also referenced a well-known cultural parallel: the 1982 Far Side comic by Gary Larson titled “Cow Tools,” which humorously depicts a cow surrounded by nonsensical implements. The comic has long been regarded as absurdist humor and has gained renewed attention online in recent years.
“[Veronika] did not fashion tools like the cow in Gary Larson’s cartoon, but she selected, adjusted, and used one with notable dexterity and flexibility,” the researchers wrote. “Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist.”
Researchers say the findings open the door to further studies on cattle cognition and suggest that complex behaviors in farm animals may have been overlooked due to limited observation rather than lack of ability.
