A cow in southern Austria has been documented using a brush to scratch parts of her body she cannot easily reach. Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow, grips the object with her mouth and tongue, aims it at her body, and adjusts the end and movements she uses depending on where she wants to scratch. Researchers describe this as the first documented case of tool use in cattle—not proof that no other cow has ever used an object.
In a behavioral study, Veronika used a deck brush’s stiff bristles for firmer, broader areas such as her back and its smooth handle for softer areas such as her belly or udder. The case shows flexible tool use by one individual; it does not establish how common the behavior is among cattle.
What Veronika does with a brush
Veronika lives as a pet with Witgar Wiegele and his family in Nötsch, in southern Austria. Her owner had observed her picking up sticks and scratching herself with them more than ten years before researchers investigated the behavior. According to the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, he had not trained her to do it.
A video of Veronika scratching herself reached cognitive biologist Alice M. I. Auersperg. Auersperg and colleague Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró then investigated whether the cow was doing more than simply rubbing against a convenient object.
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Veronika has reportedly used sticks, rakes, and a deck-cleaning brush. She picks objects up with her mouth and tongue and uses them to reach areas that are difficult to scratch directly.
In the behavioral sessions, researchers presented her with a stiff-bristled deck brush mounted on a long handle. Its two ends offered different kinds of contact:
- Stiff bristles for firmer, broader contact.
- Smooth handle for softer contact.
Veronika generally selected the bristled end for firm, broad areas such as her back. For softer areas of her lower body, including the belly and udder, she more often used the smooth handle. She also changed her technique: broad, sweeping strokes for her upper body and more controlled movements for softer areas.
Readers curious about the kind of object used in the study can look up a deck brush. This is an example for identification only; the study does not endorse a commercial brush or establish that a household brush is suitable for animal use.
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Disclosure: This article may contain a product reference. It is provided for identification and context, not as veterinary, livestock-management, or animal-enrichment advice.
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How the researchers studied her tool use
A video of a cow scratching herself is intriguing, but the researchers also observed Veronika in behavioral sessions. They placed a stiff-bristled deck brush horizontally on the ground and randomized which direction the brush head faced. They recorded which end she selected and which body region she targeted.
Her choice of brush end and technique varied with the target area. This relationship between the body region, the end selected, and the movement used is central to the researchers’ interpretation: Veronika appeared to use different features of the same object for different outcomes.
Why this counts as tool use
An operational description of tool use is an animal grasping an external object and directing its functional end toward a target to create a mechanical interaction that achieves a goal. This distinguishes steering an object against the body from simply rubbing against a fixed surface.
Veronika’s brush use fits that description:
- She manipulated an external object with her mouth and tongue.
- She used it to extend her reach.
- She directed it toward particular body regions.
- She selected between ends with different physical properties.
- She changed her movements according to the area being scratched.
The researchers characterize her behavior as flexible, multipurpose tool use: she adapted the tool end and her technique to the area she wanted to scratch. The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna says this kind of multipurpose use had previously been convincingly documented only in chimpanzees; that comparison should be understood as the researchers’ account, not an exhaustive claim about every animal.
The important limitation: this is one cow
The study concerns one animal. It shows a capacity Veronika demonstrated; it does not show how common tool use is among cattle or establish that cows generally use tools.
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It would also be an overstatement to conclude that Veronika is more intelligent than other cows or that all cattle could or would develop this behavior. The precise claim is that she is the first cow in a documented scientific report to demonstrate tool use.
That wording leaves open the possibility that other cattle have used objects without being observed or studied. A lack of published observations does not prove a behavior never occurs.
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Veronika’s life circumstances provide context: she is a pet, has human contact, and has had access to objects such as sticks. Her owner noticed her using sticks years before scientists studied her.
The researchers suggest that her long life and rich environment may have provided favorable conditions for exploration and learning. This is a hypothesis, not a proven cause. The study did not compare cattle raised in different conditions, so it cannot establish that enrichment or human contact caused Veronika’s behavior.
As co-author Alice Auersperg put it, “It’s about recognizing that our assumptions about intelligence in animals are shaped by how we treat them, and by what we bother to look for.”
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What the finding may mean for cattle welfare
The observation may prompt questions about animal welfare and opportunities for exploration. However, Veronika’s case did not test a farm-wide enrichment program or measure welfare outcomes, and it does not establish which objects are safe or beneficial for cattle.
Do not interpret the story as advice to put household tools in a cow’s enclosure. Any object offered to cattle needs to be assessed for the animals’ size, strength, and behavior. Consult a veterinarian or qualified livestock-welfare professional about enrichment plans and safety.
Routine grooming is a separate matter. A livestock grooming brush may be used in ordinary animal care, but that is not equivalent to Veronika’s tool use or an intervention validated by this study.
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The story has an entertaining cultural connection to Gary Larson’s 1982 Far Side cartoon “Cow Tools,” whose humor depended on the apparent absurdity of a cow making or using tools.
Veronika’s behavior does not turn the cartoon into scientific evidence or mean it predicted this finding. It does offer a real-world counterpoint: one cow has been documented manipulating an object to scratch herself.
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What we can responsibly conclude
The study adds a documented example of behavioral flexibility in cattle, but it does not settle broader questions about cattle intelligence.
The evidence supports these conclusions:
- One cow used external objects to scratch hard-to-reach parts of her body.
- In the study, she selected between the rough bristles and smooth handle in relation to the body region she targeted.
- She adjusted her movements to the tool end and target area.
- The researchers describe the behavior as flexible, multipurpose tool use.
- This is the first documented case reported in cattle.
It does not establish:
- That Veronika was the first cow ever to use an object.
- That cows generally use tools.
- That she is more intelligent than other cows.
- That her environment caused the behavior.
- That a household brush is safe enrichment for cattle.
The case also raises a broader question: how many animal abilities go unnoticed because animals lack opportunities to explore, or because nobody is looking closely enough?
Sources and evidence
The central evidence comes from Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró and Alice M. I. Auersperg’s peer-reviewed study, “Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow,” published in Current Biology. The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna’s account describes Veronika, her owner and setting, the behavioral sessions, and the researchers’ interpretation. National Geographic provides context on the operational idea of tool use, and Science News discusses the limits of generalizing from this single animal.
FAQ
Is Veronika the first cow ever to use a tool?
That is not known. She is the first cow in a documented scientific report to demonstrate tool use. The study cannot establish whether another cow used an object earlier without being observed or documented.
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She has reportedly used sticks, rakes, and a deck-cleaning brush. In behavioral sessions, researchers presented her with a long-handled deck brush with stiff bristles at one end and a smooth handle at the other.
How did Veronika use the two ends of the brush?
She generally used the bristles for firmer, broader areas such as her back, and more often used the smooth handle for softer areas such as her belly or udder. She also used broader sweeps on her upper body and more controlled movements on softer areas.
Should I give my cow a household brush?
Not without professional guidance. The study does not establish that household brushes are safe enrichment. Ask a veterinarian or qualified livestock-welfare professional to assess any object for risks such as swallowing, entanglement, or injury.
The Bottom Line
Veronika is not proven to be the first cow ever to use a tool, but her behavior is the first documented case of tool use in cattle. She selected between a brush’s bristled and smooth ends and changed her technique according to the area she scratched. The finding documents flexible object use by one cow while leaving open how common the behavior is among cattle.
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