Cows
Cows can use tools, and dairy still takes their calves away
305MCows killed in 2024 (FAO)
About 305 million cows are killed every year[6]. A mother cow and her calf know each other’s voices[3], yet dairy farms take the calf away within hours of birth so humans can drink the milk meant for it[7]. Cows have personalities, friendships, and play[5], get excited when they solve a problem[4], and one cow named Veronika even uses a broom as a tool[1]. If you cared about cows, you would stop eating them and drinking their milk.
305M
Cows killed for food in 2024 (FAO)
About 835,000 cows every day, among them mothers, calves, and dairy cows whose calves were taken first.
Who they are
The main points first. Every claim is tied to a source below.
A pet cow in Austria uses a brush as a tool
Veronika, a pet cow in Austria, scratches herself with a deck brush, using the bristle end for most of her body and the stick end for softer spots[1]. Researchers writing in Current Biology in 2026 called it flexible, multi-purpose tool use[1], something rarely seen outside primates[1]. She’s only one cow[1], but one is enough to show that cows aren’t dumb.
Read full article →Mothers and calves recognize each other's voices
When researchers played recorded calls through a speaker, mother cows answered their own calf’s call and calves answered their own mother’s, looking, turning, and walking toward the speaker[1]. On dairy farms, a calf is usually taken from its mother within hours so her milk can be sold[2].
Read full article →Young cows get excited when they figure out a puzzle
Researchers gave young cows (heifers) a puzzle they could solve to earn a treat[1]. When they got it right, their heart rates went up and their ears moved more than in cows who got the same treats without solving anything[1]. They seemed to care that they had figured it out themselves[1].
Read full article →Cows have friends
Cows have favorite companions[1]. Reviews of cow psychology describe their personalities[1], their play, and the stress they show when a companion is gone[1]. Cows raised for beef are killed young. Dairy cows live longer, have a calf taken from them along the way, and end up killed just the same.
Read full article →Articles
Cows know their calves' voices, and dairy takes the calves away
A cow knows her own calf’s voice, and dairy farms usually take that calf away within hours of birth so they can sell the milk. About 305 million cows were killed in 2024, animals who make friends, get excited when they solve a problem, and in one documented case use a broom as a tool.
Read full article →
Sources
Papers and datasets. Each card keeps its caveats, including small samples and single-animal cases.
[1]Current Biology, 2026 · Small sample
A cow named Veronika uses a broom to scratch herself, the first tool use reported in cows
Veronika preferred the bristled end of a broom but switched to the stick end for the softer areas of her lower body, using one object for different jobs. It’s the first scientific report of tool use in cows. The study covers a single animal, so it shows what a cow can do, not how common it is in herds.
[2]The New York Times · Review
The New York Times on Veronika, the cow who uses tools
The New York Times wrote up the Veronika study. It notes that cows haven’t been celebrated for their smarts and that flexible tool use is rare. The authors argue that scientists need to take a fresh look at the minds of farm animals.
[3]Animal Behaviour, 2016 · Observational
Mother cows and their calves know each other’s voices
When researchers played recorded calls, mother cows were more likely to look, turn, or walk toward the sound of their own calf than of an unfamiliar calf. The calves recognize their mothers’ calls too.
[4]Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2004 · Observational
Young cows get excited when they solve a problem themselves
Holstein-Friesian heifers (young cows) who learned a task to earn a reward showed bigger heart-rate and behavioral responses when they succeeded than cows who got the same rewards without having to learn anything. The researchers took this as evidence that the heifers evaluate their own learning.
[5]Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2017 · Review
Cows have personalities, complex social lives, and emotions, a review finds
A review of the research found that cows have personalities, complex social lives, emotions, and the ability to learn. They are someone. The authors wrote it because the science already existed and the public’s idea of cows hadn’t caught up.
[6]Faunalytics / FAO · Observational
About 305 million cows were slaughtered in 2024
According to FAOSTAT, about 305 million cows were slaughtered in 2024, out of the 87.9 billion land animals Faunalytics counted that year. Cows are a small share of the animals killed, but they account for most of the land use and climate damage.
[7]Journal of Dairy Science, 2019
Dairy farms routinely take calves from their mothers soon after birth
Beaver and colleagues reviewed 70 studies on separating dairy calves from their mothers. Taking the calf away soon after birth is standard practice on dairy farms.