Veronika, a cow living in Carinthia, has become the focus of an international study after using tools in a targeted way. Scientists say the behaviour is both flexible and deliberate.
An Austrian cow named Veronika has become an unlikely scientific celebrity after demonstrating a talent for tool use that researchers say has not previously been documented in cattle.
Veronika, a 13-year-old brown Swiss cow living as a pet with an organic farmer in Carinthia, learned to pick up long objects and use them to scratch herself, adjusting the tool depending on where she itched.
Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna travelled to meet her after footage of her behaviour reached them. After a series of field tests, they concluded that Veronika was not just grabbing objects at random, but using them in a targeted and flexible way.
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From sticks to a scrub brush
Veronika lives in Nötsch im Gailtal, a small town in Carinthia near the Italian border. Her owner, organic farmer and baker Witgar Wiegele, said he first noticed years ago that she played with pieces of wood, before working out how to scratch herself with sticks. He also said she recognised family members’ voices and hurried to meet them when they called.
The video footage of her scratching behaviour made its way to animal intelligence researchers in Vienna, including Dr Antonio Osuna Mascaró, who told the newspaper the team immediately understood why it mattered. “It was a cow using an actual tool,” he said.
For their tests, the researchers used a deck scrub brush, placing it repeatedly in different positions to see how Veronika handled it. She could pick up the broom and use it purposefully, even repositioning it with her tongue if it lay at an awkward angle before clamping it with her teeth.
Veronika using tools – on purpose. (Current Biology)
A cow with a sense of ‘the right tool for the job’
What impressed the scientists was not only that Veronika used a tool, but that she appeared to select how to use it depending on what she was trying to do.
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Veronika preferred the bristled end for tougher skin on her back, but switched to the smoother handle for more sensitive areas, such as her udders and belly. Osuna Mascaró said he initially suspected this might be accidental, but over time, the team noticed a pattern that suggested meaningful choice.
The behaviour was documented in a study published in the journal Current Biology.
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What’s the big deal?
Tool use is widely known in animals such as chimpanzees and crows and has been observed in other species as well, but it has not been considered a cattle skill. That is one reason the case has attracted attention, and why it has also become a neat cultural moment, challenging the “dumb cow” stereotype.
In the study, the researchers observed 76 instances of tool use over seven sessions of 10 trials. They described Veronika’s handling of the brush as “multi-purpose tool use”, which the scientists said is extremely rare – it has only been shown convincingly beyond humans in chimpanzees.
At the same time, the researchers stressed that Veronika is not a lone genius.
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Osuna Mascaró told The Guardian he did not believe she was “the Einstein of cows”, and suggested other clever cows had already come to light since the study. Researchers believe many cows could develop similar abilities if, as young animals, they had opportunities to play with objects and interact with a stimulating environment.
Key vocabulary
Kuh – cow
Werkzeug – tool
Deckschrubber – deck scrub brush (long-handled brush)
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien – University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Erfindergeist – inventive spirit
Kratzstock – scratching stick (a stick used for scratching)