Cow Veronika Exhibits Flexible Tool Use, Prompting Reassessment of Bovine Cognition

New scientific findings provide the first experimentally verified instance of flexible tool use in a cow, an observation that challenges established assumptions regarding the cognitive capacities of livestock. The subject of the research is Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow located in Nötsch im Gailtal, Carinthia, Austria. This behavior was documented in a study published in the journal Current Biology on January 19, 2026, led by researchers affiliated with the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

Veronika progressed from using simple sticks to employing a standard deck brush as an instrument for self-grooming. Crucially, she demonstrated a sophisticated, multi-purpose application of the tool, strategically selecting which part of the brush to engage based on the required tactile stimulation. In controlled trials, researchers observed that she consistently utilized the hard, bristled end when targeting broad areas such as her back or thigh.

Conversely, when addressing more sensitive regions, including her udder or belly button, Veronika deliberately manipulated the brush to employ the smoother, non-bristled handle end. This capacity to switch between different functional ends of a single object for distinct purposes is a complex cognitive feat, previously documented convincingly outside the human species almost exclusively in chimpanzees. Dr. Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the Messerli Research Institute, noted that these findings suggest preconceived notions about livestock intelligence may reflect observational gaps rather than inherent cognitive limitations.

The research team, which included Dr. Antonio Osuna-Mascaró, characterized this behavior as an egocentric form of tool use, as it is directed at the animal's own body, complicated by the physical constraint of manipulating the tool using only the mouth. Researchers suggest that the rich, stimulating environment Veronika experiences on the organic farm of her owner, Witgar Wiegele, may be instrumental in allowing latent cognitive abilities within cattle to manifest.

Witgar Wiegele, an organic farmer and baker who runs the 120-year-old mill and bakery, Wiegelehaus, in the fourth generation, initially observed Veronika playing with sticks over ten years prior to the formal study. The researchers emphasize that livestock species have historically been overlooked by behavioral scientists, suggesting that the perceived cognitive deficit in cattle may stem from a lack of focused observation. This discovery prompts a reassessment of the intellectual potential inherent in domesticated animals with whom humanity shares a long history.