Unbelievable! Cow ‘VERONIKA’ uses tools like a human; Social media goes crazy – Watch viral video

A cow in Austria has done what no cattle before her is known to have done: used tools. Meet Veronika. She’s the first bovine researcher’s have discovered who picks up objects and uses them to scratch itches other objects can’t reach.

The discovery has scientists and animal enthusiasts excited because it overturns previous beliefs about just how cognitively advanced livestock can really be. Who knew farm animals kept around for thousands of years still had so much to teach us about intelligence?

Meet Veronica. She’s a pretty typical cow…Who Uses Tools

While Veronika is no ordinary cow, she likely wouldn’t have sparked the interest of researchers if it weren’t for her owner. Witgar Wiegele noticed a strange habit his cow had over ten years ago.

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Yes you are eating intelligent animals https://t.co/YjOkMo7xnJ pic.twitter.com/w5poVnS2cg

— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) January 20, 2026

At his small organic farm in southern Austria, Veronika began picking up sticks and objects to scratch herself with. It started out sporadically but soon turned into a regular occurrence. Witgar noticed especially noticed she would use sticks or even deck brushes if it would help her get at an itch.

Researchers Confirm Consistent Tool-Use

That’s when the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna got involved. They asked Veronika’s owner to start recording her regularly and sent researchers to observe her in her natural habitat.

After recording 100 ‘stickings’ from Veronika, researchers confirmed 76 incidents of the cattle utilizing objects as tools. Not only did Veronica pick up sticks randomly, but she used specific ends of the tools for specific purposes.

“It has to be the right type of object and it has to fit,” Wiegele told BBC. “She uses the brush if it’s a particularly hard-to-reach spot or a stubborn itch.”

Veronika used the bristled end of the brush to scratch tougher areas of her body and handled to scratch more sensitive skin.

Testing for True Tool Use

What makes Veronika’s actions stand out to scientists is the fact that she used these found objects consistently and to her advantage. That qualifies her behavior by the definition of tool-use by animals. Only a few species have shown definitive examples of using tools in the wild. Chimpanzees. Some birds. Elephants.

Cows? Not so much. Until now.

Tool-use in Animals

The real kicker is that Veronika likely isn’t the first cow to ever use a tool. Scientists believe she just had the unique opportunity to discover and interact with her environment in a way that other cows in factory farms are not able to. As more people begin to understand animals can think and feel on a much wider spectrum than we realize, it will be interesting to see how that affects the way we treat them.

Only time will tell if Veronika the catalyst for more research into the minds of cows. One thing is for sure, we’ll never look at cows the same way again.