Austrian researchers have documented the first known case of a cow using a tool. Veronika, a Swiss brown cow in Carinthia, has spent years picking up sticks and now prefers a long brush, which she uses with notable precision to scratch different parts of her body.
Scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna observed her behavior firsthand, concluding that cows are capable of flexible tool use. The finding challenges long‑held assumptions about livestock intelligence and suggests farm animals may be far more cognitively capable than previously recognized.