Veronika Is First Cow to Be Seen Using a Multi-Purpose Tool, Something Seen Only in Apes
A clever cow called Veronika is the first ever to be recorded using tools like a brush or a stick to scratch her back.
The old Swiss brown cow has astonished scientists in Austria with her broom, which she uses as a multi-purpose tool, an extraordinarily rare ability that outside of humans has only previously been documented in chimpanzees.
Veronika is not farmed for meat or milk but has been kept as a companion by an organic farmer who regards her as part of the family. He noticed over a decade ago that Veronika would occasionally pick up sticks and then use them to scratch herself. The behavior first came to scientific attention when it was recorded on video and shared with cognitive biologist professor Alice Auersperg.
Doctor Alice has now conducted a study published in the journal Current Biology, which is the first to describe tool-use in a cow. “When I saw the footage, it was immediately clear that this was not accidental. This was a meaningful example of tool use in a species that is rarely considered from a cognitive perspective,” she said.
The researchers recorded which end Veronika selected and which body region she targeted. Across repeated sessions, they found that her choices were “consistent and functionally appropriate” for the body regions she targeted.
The researchers found that Veronika usually prefers the bristled end of a deck brush when scratching broad, firm areas such as her back. But when targeting softer and more sensitive regions of her lower body she switches to the smooth stick end.
The research team is now interested in understanding which environmental and social conditions allow such behaviors to emerge in livestock species, and how many similar cases may have gone unnoticed simply because no one was looking for them.