Researchers have documented the first known case of a cow using an external tool: Veronika, a Swiss Brown cow in southern Austria, picks up sticks, brushes, and a broom to scratch different parts of her body.
The finding is an unexpectedly literal echo of Gary Larson’s famous 1982 Far Side cartoon “Cow Tools.” But the real science is precise: one observed cow uses tools for self-grooming. It does not show that cows make tools or that every cow can use them.
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Researchers documented a cow using tools—but not making them
Scientists have documented the first known case of a cow using an external tool: Veronika, a Swiss Brown cow living as a pet in southern Austria, picks up sticks, brushes, and a broom with her mouth and uses them to scratch different parts of her body.
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The finding is an unexpectedly literal echo of Gary Larson’s famously baffling 1982 Far Side cartoon “Cow Tools.” Larson imagined that cow-made tools would be crude; decades later, researchers have documented a real cow selecting and manipulating tools for self-grooming. The science is less absurd than the cartoon—but also much narrower than the headline suggests.
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What Veronika actually does
Veronika’s owner had noticed her picking up sticks and using them to scratch herself. Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna then investigated and reported the behavior in Current Biology on January 19, 2026.
The cow holds an object in her mouth, directs it toward an itchy or otherwise targeted area, and moves it against her body. Her handling changes depending on both the object and the part of her body she is trying to reach.
- She uses sticks as scratching implements.
- She uses brushes and a broom as well.
- With a brush-like object, she uses the bristled side on broader areas such as her back.
- She uses the smoother handle on more sensitive areas.
- Her grip and movements change according to the target area and the useful properties of the object.
That last point is the most significant. Veronika is not simply bumping into a stick or rubbing against a nearby object. She is picking it up, positioning it, and using different parts of it for different purposes during grooming.
Why this qualifies as tool use
In animal-behavior research, tool use generally means controlling an external object to accomplish a goal. The object is separate from the animal’s body, and the animal directs it to produce a useful result.
By that practical definition, Veronika’s behavior fits. She:
- selects or picks up an external object;
- holds it with her mouth;
- directs it toward a chosen body region;
- uses it to scratch or groom herself; and
- adjusts how she handles it according to the object’s surface and the sensitivity or size of the target area.
The flexible adjustment is more informative than the mere presence of a stick. Many animals rub against branches, rocks, or other objects. What makes this observation notable is the apparent control over the object and the way Veronika uses its different functional surfaces.
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What “multipurpose tool use” means here
Reports on the observation describe Veronika’s behavior as flexible, multipurpose tool use. That wording does not mean she has built a toolkit, understands engineering, or is solving human-style mechanical problems.
It means that she can use external implements in more than one way. A brush can provide a rough, broad surface for one part of her body and a smoother handle for another. A stick or broom can be directed and moved to reach a place she wants to scratch.
This is tool use aimed at Veronika’s own body. It is therefore less complex than using a tool to obtain food, open a container, or manipulate a separate object. Even so, self-grooming is a genuine goal, and choosing how to use an implement according to its physical properties is a meaningful behavioral detail.
Does this mean all cows can use tools?
No. The strongest supported claim is much narrower: researchers have documented one cow using external objects for self-grooming, and the report describes this as the first documented case of tool use in cattle.
The observation does not show that:
- all cows routinely use tools;
- cattle generally possess the same ability;
- Veronika manufactured any of the objects;
- Veronika has human-like technological intelligence; or
- cows are secretly building or using the crude implements in Larson’s cartoon.
A single well-documented animal can establish that a behavior is possible within a species. It cannot establish how common the behavior is, whether other cattle learn it, or whether Veronika is unusual. Those questions would require systematic observations and experiments involving more cows in different environments.
Why the discovery matters beyond the joke
Cattle are familiar animals. People have lived and worked alongside them for thousands of years, and their behavior is often discussed in terms of farming, milk, meat, movement, and herd management. Familiarity can create the illusion that scientists already know the limits of a species’ abilities.
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The researchers’ broader argument is that assumptions about livestock intelligence may sometimes reflect gaps in observation rather than demonstrated cognitive limits. That is a reasonable lesson from the finding, but it should not be inflated into a general intelligence ranking for cows.
Animal cognition research is shaped by what people think is worth testing. Chimpanzees, crows, parrots, elephants, and some marine mammals have received extensive attention because their tool use is conspicuous or because researchers have long regarded them as cognitively interesting. Domestic farm animals have often been studied for other reasons. A behavior that seems surprising may therefore reveal as much about scientific attention as it does about the animal.
Veronika’s case is a reminder to observe closely before deciding that a familiar animal has nothing new to teach us.
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The real connection to Gary Larson’s “Cow Tools”
Gary Larson’s “Cow Tools” panel appeared in The Far Side in 1982. It shows a cow behind a table displaying several strange, crude-looking implements under the caption “Cow Tools.” The cartoon confused many readers because it offered little conventional setup and no obvious punchline.
Larson later explained that the point was simply silliness: if cows made tools, he imagined that the results would be crude and unsophisticated. Readers reportedly contacted newspapers and searched for an explanation, turning the deliberately confusing panel into one of the most discussed cartoons associated with The Far Side.
The 2026 observation does not prove that Larson predicted Veronika’s behavior. It does not show that cows made the objects in the cartoon, and it does not validate the specific shapes on Larson’s table. The connection is an ironic one: the premise that once sounded completely ridiculous—“a cow uses a tool”—now has a real, documented example.
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What this does not mean for cow care
Veronika’s behavior should not be treated as an instruction to hand a cow an ordinary broom or to recreate the observation with an animal. A tool that is harmless in one setting can become dangerous if it splinters, has sharp edges, contains loose parts, or can be swallowed.
Cattle may benefit from appropriate grooming and scratching equipment, but any livestock brush or scratcher should be selected for the animal, installed safely, and used with suitable husbandry guidance. A commercial cattle-grooming product is not necessarily the object used in the research, and the study is not a product recommendation.
For pet owners and livestock keepers, the useful takeaway is simpler: pay attention to what an animal is doing, provide safe and species-appropriate enrichment, and consult a veterinarian or qualified livestock professional when an unusual behavior raises welfare or health concerns.
The careful bottom line
Scientists did not discover a cow workshop or prove that cattle are “tool-making geniuses.” They documented something both narrower and more interesting: one Austrian Swiss Brown cow, Veronika, selects and manipulates sticks, brushes, and a broom to scratch different parts of her body, changing her technique according to the tool and target.
That is the first documented example of tool use in cattle. It also gives a decades-old cartoon an amusingly literal twist—but the evidence supports a claim about one observed cow, not about every cow.
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Sources noted in the reporting
The scientific account comes from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and the Current Biology report published January 19, 2026. Nature’s research briefing and National Geographic’s coverage provide independent discussion of Veronika, the objects she uses, and the limits of generalizing from one animal. The history of “Cow Tools” is documented through official Far Side material and publisher information for Larson’s collections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools does the cow use?
Researchers documented Veronika, a Swiss Brown cow living as a pet in southern Austria, picking up sticks, brushes, and a broom with her mouth and using them to scratch targeted areas of her body.
Is this the first cow ever to use a tool?
It is the first documented case of tool use in cattle. The observation involves one cow and does not show that all cows use tools or that cattle manufacture them.
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Did Gary Larson’s “Cow Tools” cartoon predict this discovery?
No. The cartoon imagined cow-made tools, while the research concerns one cow using ordinary external objects for self-grooming. Veronika did not make the tools depicted in the panel.
Does this prove cows are highly intelligent?
The report shows flexible self-grooming tool use, but it does not establish that Veronika—or cows generally—can solve human-style technological problems or make tools.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: A single Austrian cow named Veronika has been documented using sticks, brushes, and a broom to scratch different parts of her body. It is the first documented case of tool use in cattle—not evidence that all cows use tools, make tools, or possess human-like technological intelligence.
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