A new study is making people look at cows in a very different way. In a paper published in Current Biology on January 19, 2026, researchers reported the first documented case of tool use in cattle. The animal is a cow named Veronika. She uses a deck brush, a kind of cleaning brush, to scratch her body. (sciencedirect.com)

This was not just one funny moment on video. The scientists tested Veronika by placing the brush in different positions and watching what she did. She did not use the brush in only one way. For stronger scratching on larger parts of her body, she usually chose the bristled end. For softer, lower parts of her body, she often switched to the smooth handle. This showed flexible, multi-purpose tool use, not simple repetition. (sciencedirect.com)

Why is this important? Tool use is rare in animals, and cows are usually not seen as clever problem-solvers. The paper says cattle have lived with humans for more than 10,000 years, but research on cow intelligence has been limited and often focused on farming and welfare. The researchers argue that livestock may be smarter than people have assumed. (sciencedirect.com)

Veronika is a companion cow in Austria, not a typical farm animal raised for food. Her life may have given her more chances to explore objects and try new actions. The researchers now want to know if other cows can do similar things too. (sciencedaily.com)

So, can cows use tools? At least one cow can. Veronika’s brush may seem simple, but it gives us a bigger lesson: animals may know more, think more, and surprise us more than we expect. (sciencedirect.com)