In a recent interview, scientist Antonio Osuna-Mascaró shared the fascinating story of Veronika the cow, whose intelligent tool use surprised researchers. Osuna-Mascaró and Alice Auersperg, cognitive biologists from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, were intrigued by a video showing Veronika scratching her back with a branch, prompting them to travel five hours to meet her in southern Austria.
Veronika, a 13-year-old brown Swiss cow living in an Austrian mountain village, impressed the researchers with her adept use of a broom to satisfy her itching needs. Their study, published in the journal Current Biology, challenges traditional beliefs about cow intelligence.
Veronika’s owner, Witgar Wiegele, noted her knack for using branches to scratch herself, showcasing her versatility with different-sized sticks for various itches. The researchers were astonished by her quick adoption of the broom tool, demonstrating her ingenuity and dexterity.
Experts such as Benjamin Beck hailed Veronika’s behavior as a prime example of flexible tool use among animals, emphasizing her ability to adapt the tool to different body areas. While tool use in animals remains a topic of debate among scientists, documented instances like Veronika’s are becoming more prevalent, showcasing the diverse capabilities of animals beyond humans’ prior understanding.
The study on Veronika’s tool use in cattle sheds light on the evolving perspectives on animal cognition, highlighting the underestimated intelligence of commonly observed livestock. This newfound insight challenges preconceived notions and underscores the need to further explore the cognitive abilities of animals we interact with daily.