You might have seen it reported last month about Veronika, the Austrian cow. If you were fortunate, you even might have seen it showcased two nights in a row on a local news station! Veronika, the cow, actually uses a stick to scratch herself in nether areas she simply cannot reach. Ah, the never-ending digital news cycle rewards us again…
While it’s not as big a deal as when pigs inevitably fly, it is the first recorded example of “tool use in a pet cow”. I kid you not. Well, I was attacked by a huge bunch o’ bananas while driving in windy conditions… I’ve commented about witnessing a mango free-riding down a sloped street, all by itself… but nothing compares to a cow scratching itself using methods thought to be beyond its reach… literally.
A postdoctoral veterinary researcher in Austria stated, “There are around 1.5 billion heads of cattle in the world, and humans have lived with them for at least 10,000 years. It’s shocking that we’re only discovering this now”. Holy cow! Parker Ranch- heads up!
Perhaps cows have been itching themselves strategically for years, just not in public. Maybe cats are not simply wandering our neighborhoods, but also occasionally getting in a few games of Uno. Rumor has it that wild foul fowl congregate when the urge strikes them, and they initiate a rousing chorus of “Give Peace A Chance”. Yolk-o Oh-no!?
A tree actually fell in the woods… no one was around, but it did make a sound. Though we’ve been surrounded by trees for millennia, it’s apparently the first time someone’s acknowledged this. While in Alaska, I once trekked carefully on a path where a sign read: “Beware of bears”. I stayed very aware, but luckily only proved that bears actual do do it (or, um- doodoo it) in the woods.
Before we all kowtow to Veronika the cow, let’s acknowledge that there are undoubtedly more amazing animal stories unfolding in the animal kingdom that we’re simply not aware of. Probably. Did you know that a shoal of our state fish, the humuhumunukunuku’apua’a, went to school and named human beings as their state biped?
There exists footage of orcas and wolves using tools (that’s true). So perhaps we’ve underestimated cows for eons. The steaks are high; let’s milk this story for all it’s worth. I hope- at least- that you’re mooo-ved by this newsworthy chatter.
Think about it…