Photo: Screenshot from the documentary video, ‘Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow (Bos taurus)’ by Antonio Osuna-Mascaró and Alice Auersperg.
Back in 1982, cartoonist Gary Larson predicted the future.
Mr. Larson admitted, “I’ve always thought the word ‘cow’ was funny, and cows are sort of tragic figures. Cows blur the line between tragedy and humor.”
A pair of scientists weren’t laughing, however, when they saw footage of a 13-year-old cow named Veronika using a push broom to scratch her back. Instead, they packed up their research tools and headed to the small Austrian town of Nötsch im Gailtal, where Veronika politely demonstrated her abilities with a broom.
The scientists — Alice Auersperg and Antonio Osuna-Mascaró — were so impressed, they published their conclusions in a journal called Current Biology.
This behavior was “the first documented instance of tool use in a cow,” according to Smithsonian magazine. Many non-human animals, including various birds, apes, dolphins, otters, elephants, and octopuses, have been observed using basic tools, but cows have typically been secretive about their tool use. Or else, they simply haven’t had regular access to push brooms.
Among the tools used by the researchers was a video camera. This was not, however, the first documented use of a video camera by scientists. Camcorders have been used by scientists since the arrival of the SONY Betacam in 1983.
Here’s a short excerpt from the documentary video of Veronika, demonstrating her broom technique for the scientists.
At the end of this video clip, we see Veronika’s owner Witgar Wiegele, a baker and organic farmer, demonstrating his technique for scratching Veronika’s head. Although Witgar does not use a tool for scratching her head, we can assume that he uses tools for other purposes, since he appears to be holding a phone in his hand.
“My name is Witgar, and this is my intelligent cow, Veronika, and we have some message for you. Save the nature… then you protect yourself. And nature diversity is the key to survive on this planet. Thank you.”
The researchers hope their work will inspire other scientists to observe species that may have been overlooked, such as other farm animals. There have been anecdotal reports of tool use in goats and water buffalo, says Rob Shumaker, an evolutionary biologist who was not involved in the study.
That just adds to my feelings of apprehension.
Scientist Auersperg told the New York Times, “Perhaps the absurd thing was not the absurdity of a cow using tools, but the absurdity of us never thinking that a cow might be intelligent.”
Speaking for myself, I have always suspected cows were intelligent. They just don’t like to show off. As a result, humans decided it was perfectly acceptable to eat them.
But the line between tragedy and humor has become now become blurred, by a cow, as Gary Larson has asserted.
This new development — documented tool use by a cow — has me worried, because there’s such a thing as “the Balance of Nature”.
When Nature gets out of balance, surprising new processes develop to bring creation back into equilibrium.
Obviously, we now have cows coming up with clever ways to use push brooms.
At the same time, we have young people graduating from college, who have no idea how to use a push broom.
I’m worried that we humans are going to be replaced — not by AI, but by cows.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.