People often think cows are big, lumbering dull-witted creatures. But thanks to one hilarious cow playing just like a puppy with her human mom, and a study by researchers at a university in Australia we can see this isn’t true.
An adorable game of fetch between Jasmine Fenah Sjögren and Lotta the cow near Gothenburg Sweden. Screenshot by RM Videos via YouTube video
Cows Are Actually Quite Smart
Lotta the cow and her human mom Jasmine Fenah Sjögren live on a farm near Gothenburg, Sweden. On most days they are outside playing a rousing game of fetch with an exercise ball. Jasmine does this as a way to help Lotta, who was stressed and having problems with anxiety, Happiest reports.
“Lotta got her ball three years ago when she was a little stressed … because we did not have calves,” Jasmine said. “Since then, it has been with her.”
Lotta the cow capering after a ball. Screenshot by RM Videos via YouTube video
And it’s fun to watch this gentle cow race to catch the ball when Jasmine tosses it to her. Just like a dog, the huge cream-colored herbivore retrieves it and brings it back to her owner. And when Jasmine shared a video on Facebook of her and her bovine friend playing it quickly went viral.
Lotta bringing the ball back to her owner. Screenshot by RM Videos via YouTube video
Watching this sweet cow having a rousing good time reminds you that cows are neither lumbering or dull-witted.
Alexandra Green, a 21-year-old student at the University of Sydney, Australia, proved this by developing a test that shows evidence of just how sophisticated a cows’ cognitive capabilities are, The Huffington Post reports. She discovered dairy cows could easily follow a sound through a maze that led them to food, which suggests cows have heightened decision-making abilities.
Cows Can Learn Quickly
“These are highly developed mammals that have been solving problems for a long, long time,” said zoologist Dr. Daniel Weary, a professor in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia. “If anything it reflects poorly on us that we’re surprised that these animals are smart. Of course these animals are smart.”
To do the experiment, Green trained six cows to navigate a T-shaped maze, not unlike a larger version of the ones used by rats and mice. The cows were trained to follow sound through the maze to get their food.
Out of the six cows, four sailed right through the test, while two of the cows scored 75 percent. It took one cow less than 20 seconds to navigate the maze and find her food during the first day of testing.
And when you watch Lotta playing fetch like an enormous puppy in the video below it reminds us on a heartwarming level that cows are also gentle and loving creatures that deserve to be treated with kindness.
Featured image by RM Video via Youtube video
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