Cow's Flexible Tool Use Challenges Assumptions on Bovine Cognition

The conventional understanding of animal cognition, particularly regarding tool manipulation outside of primate species, is being reassessed following a documented observation involving a cow in Austria. This finding, formally reported in the scientific journal Current Biology on January 19, 2026, suggests that the intellectual capacities of cattle have been substantially underestimated.

Tool use, defined as the deliberate handling of an external object to achieve a goal through mechanical means, is typically associated with advanced intelligence, though instances exist across species including great apes and corvids. The research was led by cognitive biologist Alice Auersperg and post-doctoral researcher Antonio Osuna-Mascaró from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Their subject was Veronika, a Swiss Brown cow, Bos taurus, kept as a companion animal by farmer Witgar Wiegels in Nötsch im Gailtal, Austria.

Mr. Wiegels initially noted that Veronika had been using sticks to relieve irritation on hard-to-reach areas of her body for over a decade, beginning when she was approximately four years old. Formal experimentation was conducted during the previous summer using an asymmetrical implement: a deck brush with stiff bristles on a long handle. Across seven experimental sessions and 70 randomized trials, Veronika successfully grasped and used the tool to address itchy locations on 76 separate occasions.

Scientists highlighted Veronika’s capacity for what they termed multifunctional tool use, which involves applying different components of a single tool for distinct functional requirements. This behavior was designated as 'egocentric tool use,' as the action was directed toward her own body, yet it indicates sophisticated cognitive processing comparable to that seen in chimpanzees among non-primate mammals. Veronika consistently used the bristled section of the brush for grooming thicker skin areas on her back and flanks with broader movements. Conversely, for more sensitive regions, such as her belly and rear quarters, she switched to manipulating the wooden handle, a requirement necessitating finer motor control.

This study advocates for a comprehensive re-evaluation of prevailing assumptions regarding the intellectual capabilities of cattle, moving beyond prior limitations ascribed to the species. The research team has issued an open invitation for the public to report any previously undocumented instances of cattle purposefully using objects for self-grooming, aiming to gather broader ecological data to support the publication’s findings.