Cows can use tools, prompting science to rethink animal intelligence
An Austrian cow is exhibiting capabilities only previously observed in humans and chimpanzees.
Using the same tools in a variety of ways has for a long time been seen as a sign of animal intelligence.
Multi-purpose use of the same tool has only ever been convincingly observed in humans and primates such as chimpanzees – but in Austria, a cow named Veronika has surprised scientists with her ability to use the sticks she plays with to also scratch her own body.
Organic farmer and baker Witgar Wiegele, who lives in Carinthia, near the Italian border, keeps Veronika as a companion animal. He reports that the Brown Swiss cow began playing with sticks years ago, also using the same sticks to scratch her back.
“I was naturally amazed by her extraordinary intelligence and thought how much we could learn from animals: patience, calmness, contentment, and gentleness,” Wiegele told The Guardian. He also recalls that Veronika recognises the voices of family members and rushes to meet them when they call.
When biologists found out about Veronika's extraordinary abilities, they immediately came to visit Wiegele's farm. In a series of tests involving a deck brush, it was revealed that Veronika was able to pick up the broom and use it in accordance with the task she was given. While she used the bristled edge of the broom to scratch her back, she instead used the handle to scratch more gentle areas.
While animals such as dolphins, crows, and primates have been known to use tools, this is unheard of in farm animals – who aren't considered to be among the most intelligent species. Despite living in proximity to cattle for over 10,000 years, we may have underestimated these animals. The experts who had witnessed Veronika's skills first-hand say that it is likely that other cows could develop similar abilities, which points to them being more clever than we think.
“What this tells us is that cows have the potential to innovate tool use, and we have ignored this fact for thousands of years,” says Dr Antonio Osuna Mascaró, one of the biologists carrying out the field tests. “It’s shocking that we’re only discovering this now.”
However, animal advocates have spoken about the intelligence and emotional abilities of cattle for a long time. Compassion in World Farming point out that cows form lasting friendships with members of their herd, demonstrate social memory (which can be observed from Veronika recognising family members' voices) and comfort each other in times of need. Tool use also comes as no surprise to those who know that cows have been known to navigate mazes, solve multi-step puzzles, and operate mechanical devices. PETA also reminds that cows choose leaders based on their social skills, and inter-herd relationships are complex and structured.
Despite cows clearly being clever and emotionally capable, they are among the most abused animals on the planet. Approximately 900,000 cows are slaughtered every day – a staggering figure that includes meat as the primary target, but also leather and dairy. Most of these animals spend their entire lives in the factory-farming system, among extreme crowding and risk of disease, and are subjected to painful mutilations before facing a violent death at the abattoir. Perhaps, with their intelligence coming to light, humans may rethink our relationship to other animals. As the scientists wrote in the study concerning Veronika, “Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist.”
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