Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

[Return to Poems and Thoughts index page]

Veronika, the Tool User. Jane Goodall, astounded the world by showing That chimpanzees hunted termites with stick-tools. More data among birds showed that crows and ravens were tool-users. We must also consider the overlooked ability of rocks used by sea otters. Incredibly, a new aspect concerning a cow has been observed! Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow in Austria, Living as a pet on a family farm, was observed By researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. Veronika, with her tongue, picks up sticks, rakes, and deck brushes, Manipulating these tools to scratch unreachable parts of her body. She uses the bristled end of a deck brush for her thick-skinned back, And switches to a smooth handle for her sensitive underbelly. This cow does not make tools, but neither, always, does a chimp. (There are similar undocumented accounts of goats also using sticks.) Humans had to slowly learn technology and the use of tools; Are the creatures around us, picking this up for their own benefit as well? If Veronika were given a couple of 'pasture-mates', Would she teach them how to do such manipulations? The passing on of such behavior to others could also be really crucial. Frank Maurer 19 January 2026 1715 Hours.