we used to have an emoji of this, right?

also; wikipedia editors lightning fast https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_tools#Example_in_real_life

Example in real life Further information: Veronika (cow) Veronika, a Swiss Brown (Braunvieh) cow, uses a broom to scratch herself, using the coarse brush on her tough hide and the wooden handle on her udders and underbelly.

On January 19, 2026, the first scientific report of tool use in cows was published in Current Biology. The paper, which references the Far Side cartoon, describes a pet cow named Veronika that scratched herself with a stick or wooden broom, using different ends to scratch parts of her body that she could not otherwise reach—a rare example of flexible multi-purpose tool use by non-humans.[7][8]

The research suggests a previously unknown sophistication in livestock intelligence, which the deprived environments of industrial farms may typically hinder. The authors note that Veronika "did not fashion tools like the cow in Gary Larson's cartoon, but she selected, adjusted, and used one with notable dexterity and flexibility". The paper concludes: "Perhaps the real absurdity lies not in imagining a tool-using cow, but in assuming such a thing could never exist."[9]