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Antonio J Osuna Mascar\u00f3<\/p>\nWatch: Veronika the cow shows off her unique skills<\/p>\n
Scientists are rethinking what cattle are capable of after an Austrian cow named Veronika was found to use tools with impressive skill. <\/p>\n
The discovery, reported by researchers in Vienna, suggests cows may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously assumed.<\/p>\n
Veronika, a cow living in a mountain village in the Austrian countryside, has spent years perfecting the art of scratching herself using sticks, rakes, and brooms. <\/p>\n
Word of her behaviour eventually reached animal intelligence specialists in Vienna, who found Veronika used both ends of the same object for different tasks. <\/p>\n
Antonio J Osuna Mascar\u00f3<\/p>\n
Veronika, a Swiss brown cow living in Austria<\/p>\n
If it were her back or another tough area that warranted a good scratch, she would use the bristle end of a broom. <\/p>\n
When a softer touch was needed, such as on her sensitive underbelly, she would use the smooth handle end.<\/p>\n
This kind of tool use is rarely seen in the animal kingdom and has never been documented in cattle before.<\/p>\n
Dr Antonio Osuna-Mascaro of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna said: “We were not expecting cows to be able to use tools, and we were not expecting a cow to use a tool as a multipurpose tool. Until now this has only been consistently reported in chimpanzees.”<\/p>\n
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Getty Images<\/p>\n
Chimpanzees show sophisticated tool use, such as using a stick to get fruit from a box<\/p>\n
Chimpanzees show the most varied range of tool use outside of humans. They use sticks to gather ants and termites, and stones to crack nuts.<\/p>\n
However, despite about 10,000 years of humans living alongside cattle, this is the first time scientists have documented a cow using a tool.<\/p>\n
The researchers say their discovery shows that cows are smarter than we think and that other cows could develop similar skills, given the chance.<\/p>\n
As for Veronika’s owner, organic farmer Witgar Wiegele, he hopes her unexpected talents will inspire people to value the natural world. <\/p>\n
As he puts it: “Save the nature, then you protect yourself. Nature diversity is the key to survive on this planet.”<\/p>\n