Meet the world’s smartest COW! Brown Swiss named Veronika has worked out how to scatch her back with a stick – a sign of ‘extraordinary intelligence’

A back-scratching cattle has forced scientists to re-evaluate the intelligence of cattle.

Veronika, a brown Swiss cow from the Austrian village of Carinthia, shocked researchers with the first documented case of a cow learning how to scratch itself with a stick.

The clever creature also recognizes the voices of family members and rushes to meet them when called.

Witgar Wiegele, an organic farmer and baker who has kept Veronika as a pet for more than a decade, said she started playing with wooden sticks in her mouth before she started scratching herself.

‘Naturally I was amazed by his extraordinary intelligence and thought about how much we can learn from animals: patience, calmness, contentment and kindness,’ he said.

In a paper published Jan. 19 in the journal Current Biology, scientists describe the first recorded case of tool use in a domestic cow, suggesting that cattle may be more cognitively capable than previously thought.

Cognitive biologist Dr. from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Alice Auersperg said: ‘The findings show how assumptions about livestock intelligence may reflect gaps in observation rather than actual cognitive limits.’

Researcher Antonio Osuna-Mascaró (left) is seen with Veronika’s owner Witgar Wiegele (right)

The behavior attracted scientific attention when it was first filmed and shared with Dr Auersperg.

‘When I saw the images, it was immediately clear that this was not a coincidence,’ he said.

‘This was a meaningful example of tool use in a type rarely assessed from a cognitive perspective.’

Dr Auersperg and his postdoctoral researcher colleague Antonio Osuna-Mascaró traveled to observe Veronika and perform tests.

In a series of controlled trials, they placed a deck brush on the ground in random directions and recorded which tip Veronika chose and which part of her body she targeted.

Over repeated sessions, the choices he made were consistent and appropriate to the body parts he itched.

“We show that a cow can actually engage in flexible tool use,” Mr. Osuna-Mascaró said.

‘Veronika doesn’t just use an object to scratch herself. He uses different parts of the same tool for different purposes and applies different techniques depending on the function of the tool and body part.’

A Swiss brown cow from the Austrian village of Carinthia shocked researchers with the first documented case of a cow scratching itself with a stick

The smart cow also recognizes the voices of family members and rushes to meet them when called.

He also changed the way he moved the object. Researchers say that scratching the upper body involves large and powerful movements, while scratching the lower part is slower, more careful and controlled.

Tool use is defined as manipulating an external object with mechanical means to achieve a goal. Investigators say Veronika’s actions fit that description and went further.

They describe its behavior as flexible, multi-tool use, meaning that different properties of the same object are used to achieve different results.

Outside of humans, such behavior has been documented in relatively few animal species; Great apes such as chimpanzees are the most advanced species.

“Because he uses his tool on his own body, this represents an egocentric form of tool use that is generally considered less complex than tool use directed at external objects,” Mr. Osuna-Mascaró said.

‘He also faces clear physical limitations due to having to manipulate tools with his mouth. What is striking is how he compensates for these limitations by anticipating the outcome of his actions and adjusting his grip and movements accordingly.’

The study represents the first documented case of tool use in cattle and the first evidence of flexible, multi-purpose tool use in the species.

The cow’s behavior attracted scientific attention when it was first filmed and shared with Dr Auersperg.

Researchers suggest that Veronika’s unusual living conditions may have played an important role. Most cows do not live this long, do not experience open and complex environments, and can rarely interact with a variety of objects.

Its long lifespan, daily contact with humans, and access to a variety of physical landscapes may have created the conditions necessary for exploratory behavior.

The team is looking forward to hearing from other farmers to find out how common this type of behavior might be.

“Because we suspect that this ability may be more widespread than currently documented,” Mr. Osuna-Mascaró said. ‘We invite readers who have observed cows or bulls using sticks or other hand-held objects for purposeful actions to contact us.’

Gary Larson’s 1982 Far Side cartoon Cow Vehicles depicted a cow standing behind a table full of shoddily crafted items.

It confused readers, including his mother, and forced him to explain: ‘Although I never met a cow who could make tools, I was sure that if I had, they would too. [the tools] It lacks complexity and will resemble the poor examples shown.’

Investigators had a message for Larson.

‘Veronika did not design tools like the cow in Gary Larson’s cartoon, but she selected, adjusted, and used one with remarkable dexterity and flexibility,’ the researchers wrote.

‘Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming that such a thing could never exist.’