“There’s absolutely no question that this is tool use,” says Robert Shumaker, an evolutionary biologist and President of the Indianapolis Zoo. Shumaker, who recently co-authored a book on tool use in animals and was not involved with the new study, says he is excited to see cows added to the list of tool-using animals, but not surprised. Other domesticated hoofed mammals, such as water buffalo and goats, are known to use tools, so it makes sense, he says, that cows can too.
(Dolphins learn how to use tools from peers, just like great apes)
Veronika resting while using a stick.
Antonio J Osuna Mascaro
Leisure and learning
In 1982, cartoonist Gary Larson published a comic titled Cow Tools that depicted a cow standing beside a random assortment of useless objects. The joke hinged on the widespread belief that cows are simple creatures incapable of making or using tools.
This belief, while convenient for those who prefer to think of cows as unintelligent, is entirely misguided, says Osuna-Mascaró. “We don’t think that Veronica is the Einstein of cows; we think that her conditions are special enough for her to be able to express herself in a way that other cows simply can’t,” he says. “She has all the objects in the world to interact with and the time to learn how to use them.”
According to Wiegele, Veronika began scratching herself with sticks when she was only 3 years old. At first, she was clumsy, but over the past nine years, she has honed her skills and can now scratch with precision. Given the time and enriched environment Veronika was afforded, other cows would likely exhibit the same behavior, Osuna-Mascaró says.