Cow tools

==Example in real life==

==Example in real life==

{{Further|Veronika (cow)}}[[File:Veronika’s tooling technique and targeted areas (cow tools).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Veronika, a Swiss Brown<!–This is not a typo. Don’t switch the order.–> ([[Braunvieh]]) cow, uses a broom to scratch herself, using the coarse brush on her tough [[Hide (skin)|hide]] and the wooden handle on her udders and underbelly.]]

{{Further|Veronika (cow)}}[[File:Veronika’s tooling technique and targeted areas (cow tools).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Veronika, a Swiss Brown<!–This is not a typo. Don’t switch the order.–> ([[Braunvieh]]) cow, uses a broom to scratch herself, using the coarse brush on her tough [[Hide (skin)|hide]] and the wooden handle on her udders and underbelly.]]

in early 2026, the first scientific report of tool use in cows was published in ”[[Current Biology]]”. The paper, which references the ”Far Side” cartoon, describes a pet cow named Veronika that scratched herself with a stick or wooden [[broom]], using different ends to scratch parts of her body that she could not otherwise reach—a rare example of flexible multi-purpose [[Tool use by non-humans|tool use by non-humans]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Sample|first=Ian|title=Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 January 2026|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anthes |first=Emily |date=19 January 2026 |title=Do Cows Use Tools? This One Does |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/science/animals-cows-intelligence-tools.html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://archive.ph/ezvmN|archive-date=19 January 2026|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

early 2026, the first scientific report of tool use in cows was published in ”[[Current Biology]]”. The paper, which references the ”Far Side” cartoon, describes a pet cow named Veronika that scratched herself with a stick or wooden [[broom]], using different ends to scratch parts of her body that she could not otherwise reach—a rare example of flexible multi-purpose [[Tool use by non-humans|tool use by non-humans]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Sample|first=Ian|title=Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 January 2026|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anthes |first=Emily |date=19 January 2026 |title=Do Cows Use Tools? This One Does |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/science/animals-cows-intelligence-tools.html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://archive.ph/ezvmN|archive-date=19 January 2026|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

The research suggests a previously unknown sophistication in livestock intelligence, which the deprived environments of [[Intensive animal farming|industrial farms]] may typically hinder. The authors note that Veronika “did not fashion tools like the cow in Gary Larson’s cartoon, but she selected, adjusted, and used one with notable dexterity and flexibility”. The paper concludes: “Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist.”<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Osuna-Mascaró |first1=Antonio J. |last2=Auersperg |first2=Alice M. I.|author2-link=Alice Auersperg|date=19 January 2026 |title=Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow |url=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)01597-0 |journal=Current Biology |volume=36 |issue=2}} Paper has video of tool use.</ref>

The research suggests a previously unknown sophistication in livestock intelligence, which the deprived environments of [[Intensive animal farming|industrial farms]] may typically hinder. The authors note that Veronika “did not fashion tools like the cow in Gary Larson’s cartoon, but she selected, adjusted, and used one with notable dexterity and flexibility”. The paper concludes: “Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist.”<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Osuna-Mascaró |first1=Antonio J. |last2=Auersperg |first2=Alice M. I.|author2-link=Alice Auersperg|date=19 January 2026 |title=Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow |url=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)01597-0 |journal=Current Biology |volume=36 |issue=2}} Paper has video of tool use.</ref>