In a surprising revelation, researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Austria have documented the ingenious tool use of a 13-year-old brown Swiss pet cow named Veronika. Contrary to the common perception that cattle are simple-minded creatures, Veronika has demonstrated a remarkable level of problem-solving and dexterity.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, describes how Veronika uses a humble broom to scratch the hard-to-reach areas of her body. Deftly manipulating the broom with her tongue, she employs the blunt end to groom her sensitive belly and reserves the bristly end for the thicker skin on her upper back and hindquarters. This innovative behaviour not only showcases Veronika’s adaptability but also challenges the long-held notion that tool use is a uniquely human trait.
“I don’t think many dairy farmers would be surprised to learn that,” remarks a farmer friend of science writer Helen Pilcher, who has long observed the rich inner lives and mischievous tendencies of cattle. Pilcher argues that the story of Veronika reveals more about the biases and preconceptions of humans than the capabilities of cows.
For decades, scientists believed that tool use was a defining characteristic of humanity, until groundbreaking discoveries in the 1960s proved otherwise. Primatologist Jane Goodall’s observation of chimpanzees using sticks to extract termites from mounds opened the door to a wealth of evidence demonstrating tool use across the animal kingdom. From sea otters using stones as hammers and anvils to New Caledonian crows fashioning intricate hooks from plant stems, the list of tool-wielding creatures continues to grow.
Yet, despite this mounting evidence, Pilcher contends that we stubbornly cling to the illusion of human superiority. “We have become so blind that we fail to see how animals are both smarter and more like us than we give them credit for,” she writes.
The story of Veronika the cow serves as a powerful reminder that we must redefine our understanding of intelligence and capability. As Pilcher’s farmer friend aptly observes, “Cows, on the other hand, are” special in their own right, challenging us to shed our preconceptions and embrace the rich diversity of the natural world.
