For decades, a popular cartoon depicted cows pondering “cow tools”—an absurd idea suggesting bovine minds lacked the capacity for complex thought. Now, a new study confirms that cows do use tools, showcasing an intelligence level previously underestimated in livestock. The findings, published in Current Biology, challenge long-held assumptions about animal cognition and raise ethical questions about how we treat farm animals.
A Cow Named Veronika Changes Everything
The discovery centers around Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow living on an Austrian farm. Farmer Witgar Wiegele first noticed Veronika using sticks to scratch hard-to-reach areas of her body. Intrigued, cognitive biologist Alice Auersperg investigated further, confirming that Veronika wasn’t just randomly interacting with objects—she was deliberately using them.
“It was immediately clear that this was not accidental,” Auersperg stated. “This was a meaningful example of tool use in a species that is rarely considered from a cognitive perspective.”
How Veronika Uses Tools: Precision and Purpose
Researchers observed Veronika using a deck brush to scratch her back, udder, and belly. She manipulated the tool with surprising dexterity, using her tongue to lift it and teeth to hold it in place. Notably, she adapted her technique, using the bristled end for tough skin and the smooth handle for sensitive areas. This isn’t simple scratching; it’s evidence of problem-solving and intentional adaptation.
This behavior isn’t just clever—it’s sophisticated. Veronika demonstrates multipurpose tool use, exploiting different properties of the same object for different functions. This level of cognitive skill has previously been documented in chimpanzees, but never so clearly in cattle.
Why This Matters: Underestimated Minds and Ethical Concerns
The study suggests that tool use may be more widespread in cattle than previously assumed. Anecdotal evidence from South Asia supports this, hinting that such abilities might be ancient but suppressed by poor living conditions. Veronika’s stimulating environment—a rural farm with access to tools—allowed her to express her intelligence. Most livestock, confined to factory farms, never have the chance.
The implications are stark: 1.5 billion cattle worldwide may possess untapped cognitive potential. We’ve spent millennia living alongside these animals without realizing their capabilities. As primatologist Jill Pruetz points out, we know more about the tool use of exotic animals than the cows we rely on for food.
The Future of Animal Cognition Research
The discovery underscores the need for enrichment in livestock farming. Providing animals with stimulating environments could unlock hidden intelligence, improving their welfare and potentially revealing even more surprising behaviors.
This isn’t just about cows. The study forces us to reconsider our assumptions about animal minds. If livestock can use tools, what else are we overlooking? The answer may be that we have underestimated the intelligence of creatures we’ve long considered simple.
