Cow astonishes scientists with rare use of tools

Watch: Veronika the cow shows off her unique skills

Scientists are rethinking what cattle are capable of after an Austrian cow named Veronika was found to use tools with impressive skill.

The discovery, reported by researchers in Vienna, suggests cows may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously assumed.

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 deck brushes.

Word of her behaviour eventually reached animal intelligence specialists in Vienna, who found Veronika used both ends of the same object for different tasks.

This kind of tool use is rarely seen in the animal kingdom and has never been documented in cattle before.

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."

The researchers believe other cows may have similar abilities that have gone unnoticed.

Her owner Witgar Wiegele, hopes her unexpected talents will inspire people to value the natural world.

As he puts it: "Save the nature, then you protect yourself. Nature diversity is the key to survive on this planet."